Trends for Public Affairs in 2026

We are nearing the end of 2025 and the Public Affairs discipline - like everyone else - is looking towards a new year. Based on our ongoing talks with Public Affairs professionals across the Nordics and Europe, as well as our daily work with organisations navigating political complexity, we see some trends that we expect will be even more clear in 2026.

Public Affairs as risk assessor

Politics is moving faster – and becoming harder to predict. Shifting geopolitical alliances, fragmented political systems, and debates unfolding in parallel online echo chambers are creating growing uncertainty for organisations of all kinds: Companies, interest organisations, and NGOs alike.

The political debate no longer feels like a single shared conversation. Instead, it plays out across multiple arenas at once – national, regional, and international.

For organisations, this fragmentation fuels concern. New legislation, regulatory shifts, or political developments at home or abroad can suddenly change the playing field and create unexpected challenges for business models, strategies, or core objectives.

The result is that Public Affairs is gaining strategic weight. Management teams are increasingly aware that political and geopolitical risks must be identified early and assessed proactively. In many organisations, Public Affairs is therefore becoming the natural owner of political and regulatory risk.

At board and executive level, there is an increasing understanding that Public Affairs is not a “nice to have”. In some cases, it is now seen as just as critical – or even more critical – than traditional PR or communications when it comes to protecting long-term business interests.

Public Affairs as discipline or skillset

At first glance, this shift should be good news for Public Affairs teams. And in some organisations, it is.

But increased importance does not automatically lead to stronger mandates, dedicated teams, or larger budgets. Across our client base and network, we often see the opposite: Instead of building standalone Public Affairs functions, organisations place PA responsibilities on existing PR, communications, or marketing teams.This tells us that Public Affairs still isn't perceived as an established discipline similar to marketing or PR. Too often, it is treated as a skillset that can simply be picked up along the way.

Increased reporting and measuring

As Public Affairs moves higher up the corporate agenda, expectations change. Visibility brings scrutiny - and with it, growing demands for documentation, reporting, and measurable results.

We see this playing out on two levels.

First, management attention comes with a demand for metrics and measurement. Many Public Affairs teams still rely on anecdotal reporting or simple activity counts: Meetings held, stakeholders contacted, positions shared. But when budgets are discussed, that is rarely enough.

To compete for resources with marketing, compliance, or other corporate functions, Public Affairs must prove impact. That means being able to demonstrate how PA efforts have:

• influenced legislation
• shaped regulatory outcomes
• reduced political or regulatory risks that would otherwise have had real financial or strategic consequences

Doing so requires more systematic data collection, clearer KPIs, and stronger reporting structures than many teams have today.

Second, Public Affairs’ role as a risk assessor is becoming more formalised. Political risk evaluations are increasingly delivered on a regular basis and often feed directly into C-level or board reporting.

Looking towards 2026, we expect Public Affairs professionals to be asked for forward-looking assessments: Predictive intelligence, scenario planning, and prioritised risk outlooks - both short and long term. In many organisations, this also includes developing political crisis scenarios and response plans.

In essence, Public Affairs is increasingly expected to answer two simple but demanding questions: What risks are we facing? And what are we doing about them?

AI as an integrated tool for PA

Like most professions, Public Affairs has seen growing use of AI throughout 2025. So far, the most common applications are practical: Drafting texts, summarising documents, or supporting desk research. The use of AI for deeper analysis or strategic decision-making is still limited.

Even so, AI is already changing day-to-day Public Affairs work - especially when it comes to political monitoring. More sources can be tracked, insights are delivered faster, and overviews are easier to digest. For a discipline that depends on processing large volumes of information, this is a meaningful step forward.

At the same time, a more sober understanding is emerging. AI can save time. It can broaden information coverage. It can surface patterns quickly. But insights alone do not create value. 

Value is created when insights lead to decisions and action. AI therefore works best when it is embedded into workflows, reporting structures, and decision-making processes - not when it operates as a standalone tool.

At Ulobby, we see expectations for both the quantity and quality of Public Affairs output continuing to rise into 2026. We also welcome the growing recognition that AI is not a silver bullet, but a tool that must be combined with human judgement, political understanding, and strategic clarity.

Looking ahead, 2026 is likely to be less about experimenting with AI - and more about integrating it properly into everyday Public Affairs work.

Public Affairs in 2026

2026 is shaping up to be another interesting year for Public Affairs. 

The discipline is moving in a more proactive direction. Political and geopolitical uncertainty means organisations can no longer afford to react late. Risks must be identified earlier, assessed more systematically, and communicated more clearly to decision-makers.

At the same time, Public Affairs professionals are expected to turn political intelligence into action: Stakeholder engagement, political activities, and coherent Public Affairs strategies. Doing so requires experience, judgement, and close collaboration across teams and functions.

Overall, expectations are rising. Public Affairs professionals are increasingly asked to be analysts, risk assessors, strategists, and advisors - often all at once.

In the year ahead, the discipline must continue to prove its value. Not as a side activity that can be added to other roles, but as a strategic function in its own right.

Politics has rarely been as complex - or as consequential - as it is today. And even in times of crisis, nothing is guaranteed for Public Affairs. Securing the discipline’s place, mandate, and impact therefore remains a central challenge going into 2026.

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