Pew Internet - Government Online Study
First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aaron Smith, and I’m a researcher at the Pew Internet & American Life Project. We’re a nonpartisan, nonprofit survey research firm located in Washington, DC, and we study the impact of the internet on topics ranging from politics and news to health care and family life.
The reason I’m here today is that we just released a new study that documents how the internet is changing the way people interact with government, and Steve and Andy have been kind enough to let me come here and discuss it with the govloop community. You can find the full report below:
Here are a few of the main findings:
- Citizens are hungry for data – 40% of internet users went online in 2009 to get data about government activities (such as stimulus spending or campaign contributions).
- Government interactions are moving beyond the website – 31% of internet users have gotten government information using tools such as blogs, online video, social networking sites or text messaging.
- Government is not a one-way conversation – 23% of online adults now participate in the online discussion around government policies and issues.
http://www.govloop.com/forum/topics/should-you-ignore-citizens
I’m hopeful that this research will help all of you as you figure out how to best engage in the online space. But just as important, I want to hear from you. Your experiences and real-world expertise can give context to our research, and help us take our findings beyond the numbers. I know from lurking in your forums that you’re not shy, so I’m expecting a good conversation! I’ll be monitoring the comments section, so if you have specific questions please send them my way.
Comment
-
Comment by Alan Huynh on April 28, 2010 at 4:58am -
Great article!
I'm looking at something similar with regard to web 2.0 and local governments. Please feel free to take this survey and pass it on.
Thanks.
http://bit.ly/socmediasurvey
-
Comment by Justin Mosebach on April 27, 2010 at 3:09pm -
Thanks for the study!
-
Comment by Patrick Quinn on April 27, 2010 at 11:46am -
Hi Aaron,
We corresponded in January 2009 about the Kansas Transportation Online Community. I'm glad to see Pew is following the development of digital government. I hope that "the structure of government" is one of the topics you address, as I think institutional changes are a-comin'.
Latest Infographic
Upcoming Training
© 2013 Created by GovLoop.
You need to be a member of GovLoop - Knowledge Network for Government to add comments!
Join GovLoop - Knowledge Network for Government