Very few variables in political science have been found to be related to so many outcomes as assembly size. Yet, we know surprisingly little about how citizens feel about assembly size. There are however good reasons to believe that, from the perspective of electoral reform, citizens’ perspectives on assembly size are important. Our central question therefore is: what determines citizens’ preferences towards parliament size? The choice regarding the number of representatives to be elected depends on weighing different values: some values, like representation, responsiveness and deliberation, lead one to prefer a larger assembly, others, like efficiency, a smaller one.
We test these expectations about assembly size using both observational data and a survey choice experiment conducted in the Netherlands during the 2023 election to the Tweede Kamer. We explore the effect of respondents’ preferences towards and satisfaction with the oversight, legislative, representative, deliberative, and responsiveness functions of the legislature and how these influence voters’ views on the size of the legislature. We find that dissatisfaction with the functioning of the legislature is consistently associated with a desire among respondents for a smaller legislature. Voters’ priorities towards the various functions of the legislature are not consistently associated with a preference towards a larger or smaller legislature.