The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' communications office was given a very short time to deliver a public information campaign on complex EU matter prior to the vote on the Danish EU defence opt out on 1 June.
Most public communicators will recognize the discipline of translating difficult and technical material into something understandable to people without special prerequisites. It was a task in the heavier weight class in that category that was given to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' communications office after the referendum on the Danish EU defence opt out was announced by the government.
Because it was to be done quickly. The task was this: Make an information campaign on the defence opt out for the population - and have it ready in three weeks. A tough one, but according to Christine Pii Hansen, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Office for Communication, Press and Public Diplomacy, it ended up very well, given the circumstances.
1.5 million viewings of info films and memes for younger segments
- We really reached a lot of people, Pii Hansen says.
She points out that the animated film on the campaign site 1juni.dk, which was one of many initiatives in the ministry's overall efforts, had approx. 1.5 million views, and that the ministry's posts on social media have been viewed over 10 million times all together.
The website 1juni.dk was created in three weeks.
Christine Pii Hansen points out that right from the beginning of the campaign, the ministry was very careful taking into account that many citizens in the various target groups of voters were not normally very interested in EU matter or politics.
- Surveys showed that there was a large group of young people in particular who lacked information on the topic. We have tried to reach them using targeted posts on social media and memes.
"A large group of young people lacked information on the topic."
Christine pii hansen
In addition, the ministry also made significant efforts to reach groups of voters who were not as digital. This was carried out via networks including municipalities, regions, other ministries and a number of other organizations, including the Danish Prison and Probation Service.
- They were a huge help in spreading the message about where to find information, Christine Pii Hansen says.
"Why don't you write about the pros and cons?"
Another challenge for the ministry's communications office was to make the textual and visual content of the communication on the vote as factual and impartial as possible.
For that reason, the ministry posted links on 1juni.dk directing citizens to political parties websites, enabling the citizens to find out which parties' positions matched their own.
It is the Ministry's assessment that it succeeded in creating a balance between the factual information from the Ministry and the political assessment of the topic from the parties during the election campaign. However, not all citizens were equally satisfied.
- We received a couple of inquiries from citizens who asked us why we from the ministry's side did not write anything about the advantages and disadvantages of voting yes or no. We had to answer that this was not the intention of the website. The intention was to describe factually what the theme was about and what would happen if one voted yes or no, respectively. Advantages and disadvantages depend on the voters' own assessment, including the situation in Europe, and that's a political assessment, Christine Pii Hansen says.
She underlines that factuality and impartiality was incorporated everywhere in the communication. This also applied to the website's design and colors, which were deliberately chosen so that they could not be associated with particular parties.
"Without distribution it makes no difference"
If she's to give one piece of advice to other authorities on the basis of the experience from the work prior to the vote on 1 June, it would be to consider target groups and alternative distribution methods to get the messages out. A target group-focused distribution via digital, outdoor and print channels combined with a network-based distribution strategy with relevant actors can be very effective.
"We have always thought that distribution was key."
christine pii hansen
- We have always thought that distribution was key. One thing is to make websites, films, pamphlets and SoMe posts. But without distribution it makes no difference.
In the context of Danish EU referenda, a historically large majority of 66.9 per cent of Danes voted yes on 1 June to abolish the EU defence opt out, while the turnout with 65.8 per cent was the second lowest registered for an EU referendum i Denmark.
FACTS about 1juni.dk
www.1juni.dk was made by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the government's public information campaign prior to the referendum on the EU defece opt out on 1 June 2022. The Danish parliament, Folketinget, granted funding for the effort. The purpose of the public information campaign was to ensure that voters had the opportunity to optain knowledge on the theme of the vote.
www.1juni.dk contained information about what the Danish Eu defence opt out meant in practice, how it came to be and what a yes or a no in the referendum would mean for Denmark's future participation in European cooperation on defense and security. The website also contained a guide on practical issues related to the referendum.
English 
Dansk