DFUTURE focuses on studying contemporary democratic challenges and exploring innovative solutions to improve democratic processes. Its research spans critical topics including declining trust in democratic institutions, political inequality, polarization and citizen disengagement from formal politics. The group examines key political actors, such as representatives, political parties and civil society, across various democratic systems and structures, with a strong focus on the quality of democracy in Western Europe and an interest in democratic backsliding.

DFUTURE is characterized by its interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approach, employing qualitative, quantitative, experimental and comparative methods to address political issues from diverse democratic paradigms, including participatory, deliberative and representative democracy. Its research also addresses the intersectionality of democratic inclusion, analyzing how factors like gender, ethnicity and migration status affect political participation and representation.

The primary goal of DFUTURE is to develop a framework for democratic design that integrates research across these domains to propose solutions aimed at strengthening democratic governance, identifying problems and advancing solutions while fostering synergies between different research areas.