Forward

This is the sixth and final study of Australians' use and satisfaction with e-government services under the 2006 e-Government Strategy. It shows that Australians continue to embrace the internet as a way of interacting with government. The internet has now become commonplace and a natural means for citizens dealing with government and is the preferred means of accessing government services.

Over the past three years, two thirds of people have used e-government channels to contact government, confirming the importance of providing convenient and efficient government services online.

The study also saw an increased take up in the use of new communications technologies such as email, text messaging and social networking tools.

Satisfaction with government websites remains high, and since 2009 there has been an increase in satisfaction in the way government websites are designed. In 2011 more Australians became aware of their ability to easily find information about Australian Government programs and services through the australia.gov.au website. The opportunities for greater engagement with citizens through e-government channels will continue as the introduction of high speed broadband through NBN and the increased use of new communications technologies provides Government with greater flexibility in delivering better services to people, communities and business and improved government operations.

THE HON GARY GRAY AO MP
Special Minister of State

1. Executive summary

1.1 About the Study

This is the sixth and last report in a series exploring Australians' use and satisfaction with e-government services (provided through the internet and telephone). It investigated:

• how people contact government (internet, telephone, in person or mail)
• satisfaction with these means of contacting government, including reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction
• reasons why people choose to use or not use e-government services
• preferences for future delivery of government services.

The study was commissioned by the Australian Government, through the Australian Government Information Management Office in the Department of Finance and Deregulation.

1.2 Major Findings

There is a strong preference for the use of e-government service channels.

• A strong preference for using the internet or telephone over other channels such as in person contact or mail is evident among those who have used an e-government channel before and those who have not.
• When there is a choice between using the internet or some other channel, the internet is the preferred method of contact with government. Just under half (47%) of those for whom the internet was an option used it in their most recent contact with government, with a similar proportion (46%) saying they prefer the internet over other forms of contact.

Use of e-government services is stabilising with similar proportions using internet to contact government as in 2009.

• Since 2008 use of e-government services has been stable, with two thirds of people (65%) using e-government services to contact government in 2011.
• The use of telephone has increased since 2009, from 30% to 38%. Use of internet has remained stable at 35% in 2011 compared with 38% in 2009.

People continue to be satisfied with e-government service delivery, however there has been no increase in satisfaction scores.

• Overall satisfaction with the outcome of the service received is high (86%). This is consistent with previous studies and could indicate either there has been little improvement in services or that services have improved at the same pace that public expectations around quality of service have increased.
• People are comparatively less satisfied with the time it took to receive a reply, although the rating remains high (82% satisfied to some degree). Consistent with previous studies, those who used the internet or contacted government in person are more satisfied (80% and 84% respectively) than those who used the telephone (74%) or mail (71%).
• The level of satisfaction with outcomes varies depending on the service delivery channel used. Unlike previous years, those who contacted government in person have the highest level of satisfaction (89%), closely followed by those who did so by internet (86%). Those who used mail had the lowest level of satisfaction (79%).

Convenience, channel features, and availability influence the decision to choose a particular service delivery channel to contact government.

• Four in five (82%) people use the internet to contact government because it is convenient. Similarly, convenience is the most common driver for in-person contact (51%). It is also an important factor for over two in five (40%) of those who use the telephone. Channel features are the most common driver (55%) of those who used the telephone while contact by mail is driven by availability (44%).

1.3 Conclusions

Perception and awareness of government websites has increased.

• There has been a significant increase in the proportion of Australians aware of australia.gov.au.
• Satisfaction with government websites remains high, and since 2009 there has been a significant increase in satisfaction with the way government websites are designed to help you get things done quickly.
• For other aspects of government websites, satisfaction has been relatively stable. As in 2009, this indicates growing community expectations arising from increased use and comparisons with commercial websites.

Older users continue to adopt e-government channels.

• Those in older age groups continue to adopt communication technologies such as email, SMS and social networking sites.
• The take up rate of e-government services among those over 65 lags behind that of other age groups. Australians in this age group indicate they might be more likely to use e-government channels if they had better skills and/or improved access.

The use of e-government channels for contacting government is now well established.

• E-government channels are now well positioned for Australians to interact with government, with two thirds of people using e-government for their most recent contact.

There is still scope for increasing use of e-government channels for contacting the government.

• Comparison of actual channel use against preference indicates that, while mail and in person channels are still widely used, most people would prefer to use e-government channels. Those who did not use their preferred channel did so because there were barriers which prevented use, such as no e-government option being available, or the interaction had to be done in person.
• Use of communication technologies such as email and text messaging continues to increase, opening up greater communication options which could be used to encourage use of e-government channels for contacting government.

The graph below shows the preferred service delivery channel for contacting government since 2004–05.