The Obama administration is putting a heavy emphasis on using digital tools to improve the way citizens interact with government. However that might not be what Americans actually want.
A poll of 4,500 citizens conducted by Forrester Research showed only 41 percent thought the government should make digital services a focus, with 31 percent neutral and 23 percent disagreeing outright.
Report: Washington Must Work Harder to Spur Public’s Interest in Digital Government
Additionally, 47 percent said they would not use location-based apps for public safety alerts or government services, with 40 percent of those people citing privacy concerns and a lack of trust as the reason.
“A mere 35 percent of online adults said that they are confident that the federal government keeps their personal data secure,” the report’s authors note. “This distrust affects people’s interest in federal digital [customer experience].”
Surprisingly, the results did not fall strictly along ageist lines — 50 percent of Millennials polled had a preference for interacting through nondigital methods, either in person or by mail or phone.
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“Agencies that think that Millennials are a standout digital constituency are way off the mark,” the report states. “Online customers ages 18 to 24 are no more likely to use digital channels than the rest of the population [and] they are far less likely to visit agency websites.”
Forrester analysts suggested agencies focus on improving existing digital services first to increase usability and trust among consumers before implementing new services.
Analysts also suggested creating a single “federal web portal” that would act as a first-stop for finding the right government sites and services. More than 40 percent of those surveyed said the number of federal websites is overwhelming and inconsistent.
Multimedia Report: Improving Citizen Service Delivery
The online survey polled 4,517 Americans between the ages of 18 and 87 who said they use the Internet at least once a week.
