IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, about one third of Americans are not on the web - which means that phone calls, personal visits, or letter-writing are the available options to contact government for a large share of the population. Many people simply do not choose to use the Web or email to get in touch with government. Those who do contact government, including Internet users, are most likely to say they prefer to use the telephone to do so. The report found that while e-gov is a helpful tool among several options for reaching out to government, it is by no means the "killer app" among them. People’s problem-solving capacities matter to successful outcomes with government, not a specific technology. As policymakers expand the offerings of e-government, they would be wise also to maintain and upgrade the other channels that citizens use to contact government, with a focus on how these traditional channels may complement e-gov applications.

Most Americans who contact government do so via the telephone. Using a government Web site is the second most frequent approach for contacting government.

• 42% said they used the telephone the last time they contacted government.
• 29% said they visited a government Web site to contact government.
• 20% visited in person.
• 18% sent an email.
• 17% wrote a letter.
• 22% use multiple means to contact government.*

When Government Patrons were asked what way they would most prefer to contact government, the telephone was again the top choice.

• 40% of those Government Patrons say they would prefer to use the phone to contact government.
• 24% say they would prefer to use the Web.
• 13% say an in-person visit would be the way to go to contact government.
• 11% would prefer to use email to get hold of government.
• 10% would prefer to write a letter.

More than half of all Americans contact the government in a given year.

People give a variety of reasons for contacting government, including conducting transactions, looking for answers to specific questions, seeking help with a specific problem, or expressing an opinion. Some 54% of all Americans - both Internet users and non-users - contact government in the typical year, where contacts are defined to exclude the simple act of mailing in tax returns. Those with specific queries about taxes were counted in the 54%. Here is why people contact government:

• 30% of all Americans contact government for reasons relating to a transaction such as renewing a car registration.
• 25% contact government to get an answer to a specific question, whether that is about eligibility for a government benefit or finding out the hours of a nearby park.
• 19% register their opinion with government agencies on issues and policy questions.
• 11% contact government seeking out help for a specific problem.

Internet users are more likely than non-users to contact government.

With a new tool at hand to contact government, Internet users put it to use. They are much more likely to contact government than non-Internet users. Some of this additional contact with government comes from online users expressing their opinion to policymakers about the issues of the day or pending policy decisions. Overall:

• 72% of Internet users contacted the government in the past year.
• 23% of non-Internet users contacted government users in the past year.
• Among Internet users, 30% say they have used email or the Internet to try to change a change a government policy or influence a politicians vote on a law.

* The percentages total more than 100% because respondents were permitted to give multiple responses.

Quelle: inSourced, 26.05.2004