OK – big disclaimer: there is nothing statistically valid about this survey. It was completely informal. I set up a short survey form on Survey Monkey and sent out an email to 110 family, friends, and acquaintances asking them to respond. I also asked them to forward it to their friends. I did not collect any identifying information, so I have absolutely no idea who took the survey. I can tell you that my mailing list included people diverse in age, race, geographic location, economic background, and political preference. I specifically excluded anyone who is a web manager or who is an advocate or consultant for government websites. I gave them 6 days to take the survey, and then I stopped responses. In all, 50 people took the survey.
The Results?
Question 1. In your opinion, what purpose(s) should federal government websites serve? You may choose more than one answer.
- To provide government services to citizens (42 of 50 chose this)
- To make government data available to citizens so they can use it as they see fit (35/50)
- To communicate the administration's policies, initiatives, and accomplishments (30/50)
- To engage citizens in their government so they can be part of the decision-making (27/50)
Question 2. In your opinion, what is the most important function of federal government websites? (choose one)
- To provide government services to citizens (40%)
- To make government data available to citizens so they can use it as they see fit (26%)
- To engage citizens in their government so they can be part of the decision-making (24%)
- To communicate the administration's policies, initiatives, and accomplishments (10%)
Question 3. In your opinion, what is the second most important function of federal government websites? (choose one)
- To make government data available to citizens so they can use it as they see fit (38%)
- To provide government services to citizens (22%)
- To engage citizens in their government so they can be part of the decision-making (22%)
- To communicate the administration's policies, initiatives, and accomplishments (18%)
Question 4. In your opinion, what is the third most important function of federal government websites? (choose one)
- To communicate the administration's policies, initiatives, and accomplishments (37%)
- To engage citizens in their government so they can be part of the decision-making (26.1%)
- To provide government services to citizens (23.9%)
- To make government data available to citizens so they can use it as they see fit (13%)
* Note – only 46 responded to this question
I gave respondents an opportunity to explain their choices, and I found some of the answers quite interesting. Here are just a few examples:
- Websites are the primary way to access government services. It is extremely difficult to gain access to a real person in almost any agency
- No one needs any administration – Republican or Democrat – telling us their accomplishments. That’s unproductive advertising for a cause. Give the people the facts and let them tell the administration how effective they are at the ballot box.
- Informed engagement is an essential part of an “educated citizenry,” a cornerstone of our democracy…
- …The more open we are, the more honest a democracy we’ll have…
- Notification of existing or proposed policies and initiatives is essential for private and commercial planning and decision making.
- 80% of data manipulation is performed for selfish or wrong reasons, usually by amateurs…Let serious individuals (scholars, experts, investigative reporters) obtain data thru freedom of information laws.
- …In a democracy, the state is obligated to present neutral, nonpartisan information…
- …the average citizen needs to be able to express his/her opinions so government can base their decisions on what the REAL public wants and not what some for-profit activist THINKS we want
- Clear communication concerning government services is essential
What Did I Learn?
Well, first I learned that I’m not very good at choosing the words for surveys. I should have explained the first option – “to provide services to citizens.” A couple of people said they didn’t know what I meant by “services.” So FYI – by “services” I mean such things as “apply for a passport” or “learn how to buy a home” or “apply for student loans.”
The number one thing people (still) want on government websites is services. Confirms what I always heard when I was a government web manager. So keep featuring those “top tasks,” web managers!
I wasn’t surprised to see “data” come in second – transparency is of great interest these days. But I was very surprised to see “engagement” come in last! The more I thought about it, the more I realized this mirrors some conversations I’ve had with people who said they weren’t so interested in participating in government, through the web or any other way; but they definitely wanted government websites to provide services so they didn’t have to go to an office or try to get a human being on the phone to get them.
The biggest surprise to me was the third place: "communicating the administration’s policies, initiatives, and accomplishments" (aka “message”). I wonder if this came in third because we’re still in the early stages of a new administration and there’s a lot of interest in finding out what the new administration is doing. Would it remain in third place (instead of dropping to fourth place) if we were further along in this administration of if another President were in office? Not so sure.
What’s The Point?
The point is this: listening to the public is not a one-time thing. Government managers – both web managers and program managers – need to keep asking the public what they want on government websites and respect what they tell you…no matter how excited you are about what you think the public wants and needs. Do those reality checks. And when they tell you what they want, allocate your time, resources, and website space accordingly. Listen to them. Honor what they tell you.
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