Download pdf - Government Online: The 3 “P’s” of Success - Findings from Pew Internet

Government Online: The

3 “P’s” of Success

Findings from Pew

Internet Project research

GovDelivery Conference

February 3, 2011

Title of presentation

About the Pew Internet & American Life Project

• Funded by a grant from the Pew Charitable

Trusts

• Part of the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan

“fact tank” in Washington, DC

• Study of how technology is shaping society and

individuals

– Provide high quality, objective data to

thought leaders and policy makers

– Do not promote specific technologies or

make policy recommendations

– Go beyond topline findings

• Our research is based on nationally

representative telephone surveys of:

– Adults 18+ (teens data based on 12-17 year

olds)

– Drawn from dual-frame (landline + cell)

samples

2/3/2011 2Trends in Online Government


“Government Online”

• Based on a survey of 2,258 adults conducted

November 30 – December 27, 2009

• Our first look at how Americans use the internet

for government interactions since 2003

• Key research questions:

– What is the current state of online

government interactions? How has it

changed (or not changed) since 2003?

– How are Americans using social media in

their government interactions?

– How to Americans feel about the internet’s

impact on government service?

– Have the “Gov 2.0” / online transparency

movements resonated with ordinary

Americans?

• Goal of this talk: give a sense of the

importance/relevance of online content to

ordinary users, help contextualize the

presentations that follow



Trends in Technology Adoption: Where we are,

where we’ve come from


Internet use



Broadband adoption



Mobile access



Social media


Other online activities

(% of adult internet users)

• Email (94%)

• News (75%)

• Online video (66%)

• Social networking sites (61%)

• Visit government website (60%)

• Wikipedia (53%)

• Podcast (21%)

• Blogging (14%)

• Twitter (8%)


Research in Online Government


Types of online interactions

2/3/2011 10

32%

18%11%

27%

7%

5%

Most recent gov’t website visited:

Federal agency

State agency

Local gov't

Specific task

Elected official

Other

% of internet users who did following

in last 12 months:

Look for info about a public

policy or issue48%

Look up what services a gov’t

agency provides46%

Download gov’t forms 41%

Research official documents or

statistics35%

Renew a driver’s license or auto

registration33%

Get recreational or tourist info 30%

Get advice/info about a health or

safety issue25%

Apply for gov’t benefits 23%

Apply for a gov’t job 19%

Pay a fine 15%

Apply for a recreational license 11%

Trends in Online Government


How users prefer to solve gov’t issues

2/3/2011 11

35%

28%

20%

11%

6%

Among all adults, phone is preferred slightly to online contact

Phone

Web/email

In person

Letter

Other/Don't know

Among internet users:

• 37% prefer online

• 33% prefer telephone

Among broadband users:

• 39% prefer online

• 32% prefer phone

Desirability of phone/in-person

contact increases with urgency

and severity of issue;

demographically, older adults

and those with low

income/education levels are big

on phone and in-person contactEmail: 18%

Website: 10%



How users find what they need



Types of online government users

2/3/2011 13

• Four in ten online government users did 5+

different online government-related

activities in preceding twelve months

• Demographically, these users tend to be:

– Well-educated (half have a college

degree)

– Relatively well-off

– Skew towards middle-aged (not as

many young adults or seniors)

• Also very tech-savvy:

– 90% are home broadband users

– 90% get news online

– 2/3 use social networking sites, 1/3

use status update svcs like Twitter



Users mix online and offline interactions



Heavy web users prefer web…



But in reality use many resources



Heaviest users least likely to solve problems



Other avenues for gov’t info

2/3/2011 18

31% of internet users did at least one of the following activities in the

preceding 12 months:

• 15% of internet users watched a video on a government website

• 15% of email users signed up to receive email alerts from a government

agency or official

• 13% of internet users read the blog of a government agency or official

• 5% of internet users followed or become a fan of a government agency or

official on a social networking site

• 4% of texters signed up to receive text messages from a government

agency or official

• 2% of internet users followed a government agency or official on Twitter



Mixed views on social media outreach



Views by people of color



Nearly one-quarter of internet users are

“government participators”



40% of internet users go online for data about

government operations



Mostly appeals to “elites”



Final thoughts


• Need for multiple channels/tools for info and assistance users

want/expect offline and online help

• Populations with greatest need for government services often have low

levels of access / technology skills

• Go beyond branding and press releases -- make online engagement

with government actually engaging

• “Is…government scaled up and prepared to deal with citizens as

individual human beings at a massive scale?” (Mark Drapeau)

• Many “Gov2.0” offerings currently appeal to elites (white, upper class,

educated, male, etc) but need to move beyond that crowd to be truly

useful and attain widespread adoption


Thanks!

name: Aaron Smith

title: Senior Research Specialist

email: [email protected]

web: www.pewinternet.org

twitter: @aaron_w_smith, @pew_internet


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.pewinternet.org/