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_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
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Pew Internet & American Life Project

 

Government Online: The internet gives citizens new paths to government services and information

Aaron Smith, Research Specialist

April 27, 2010

http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2010/PIP_Government_Online_2010.pdf

[full-text, 44 pages]

 

Summary of Findings

As government agencies at all levels bring their services online, Americans are turning in large numbers

to government websites to access information and services. Fully 82% of internet users (representing

61% of all American adults) looked for information or completed a transaction on a government website

in the twelve months preceding this survey. Some of the specific government website activities in which

Americans take part include:

 

• 48% of internet users have looked for information about a public policy or issue online with their

local, state or federal government

• 46% have looked up what services a government agency provides

• 41% have downloaded government forms

• 35% have researched official government documents or statistics

• 33% have renewed a driver’s license or auto registration

• 30% have gotten recreational or tourist information from a government agency

• 25% have gotten advice or information from a government agency about a health or safety issue

• 23% have gotten information about or applied for government benefits

• 19% have gotten information about how to apply for a government job

• 15% have paid a fine, such as a parking ticket

• 11% have applied for a recreational license, such as a fishing or hunting license

 

Throughout this report, we refer to anyone who did one or more of these activities in the preceding

twelve months as an online government user, and most of these online government users exhibit a relatively

wide range of behaviors: the typical online government user engaged in four of these activities in

the last year.

 

The way we ask about the use of government services has changed over the years, making direct comparisons

to our prior findings difficult. However, even accounting for these methodological changes it

is clear that going online to complete basic transactions with government (such as renewing a license

or paying a fine) is now much more commonplace than it was earlier in the decade. Conversely, online

informational activities (looking up services, downloading forms, etc.) are roughly as common within the

online population as they were the last time we asked about these activities in 2003.

 

In this report, we identify several other common characteristics regarding citizens’ interactions with government.

Specifically, these interactions are frequently:

 

• Data driven – Efforts by government agencies to post their data online are resonating with citizens.

Fully 40% of online adults went online in the preceding year to access data and information about

government (for instance, by looking up stimulus spending, political campaign contributions or the

text of legislation). These “government data users” are discussed in more detail in Part 4.

• Organized around new online platforms – Citizen interactions with government are moving beyond

the website. Nearly one third (31%) of online adults use online platforms such as blogs, social networking

sites, email, online video or text messaging to get government information. These “government

social media users” are discussed in Part 2.

• Participatory – Americans are not simply going online for data and information; they want to share

their personal views on the business of government. Nearly one quarter (23%) of internet users

participate in the online debate around government policies or issues, with much of this discussion

occurring outside of official government channels. These “online government participators” are also

discussed in more detail in Part 2 of this report.

 

These are among the key findings of a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey of how Americans

interact with government online. Some of the other findings from this research:

 

40% of online Americans have gone online for data about the business of government

 

Recently, many government agencies have begun making data such as agency spending, visitor logs or

political donations available to citizens as a way to encourage openness and transparency in government.

Indeed, Americans appear to have a fairly healthy appetite for such information, as 40% of internet users

took at least one of the following actions in the twelve months preceding our survey:

 

• 23% of online adults looked online to see how money from the recent stimulus package was being

spent

• 22% downloaded or read the text of legislation

• 16% visited a site that provides access to government data, such as data.gov, recovery.gov or usaspending.

gov

• 14% looked for information on who contributes to the campaigns of their elected officials

 

At least when it comes to the federal government, these government data users tend to have more positive

attitudes towards government openness and accountability. However, political ideology and partisan

affiliations tend to outweigh this effect. Specifically, Democrats (and Democratic-leaning independents)

tend to have more positive attitudes towards the federal government’s openness compared with two

years ago if they go online for government data. On the other hand, Republican voters tend to cast a

skeptical eye towards government openness whether they get this type of data online or not.

 

More information about government data users can be found in Part 4.

 

Use of government services and information online is most common among

Americans with high incomes and education levels

 

While many Americans interact with government using online channels, this engagement is not evenly

distributed across the online population—particularly when it comes to income and education. High-income

and well-educated internet users are much more likely than those with lower levels of income and

education to interact with government using many of the online channels we evaluated in our survey.

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This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

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Stuart Basefsky                   
Director, IWS News Bureau                
Institute for Workplace Studies 
Cornell/ILR School                        
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             
New York, NY 10016                        
                                   
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  
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