Australians' Use of and Satisfaction with e-Government Services
5 Why people use e-government services
A key area of exploration in this study was what motivated people to use e-government services. Identifying people’s motivations is a more difficult task than finding out what services they accessed, as it is open to greater interpretation.
Recognising this limitation, the surveys used in this study were designed to ensure that people’s motivations for using particular channels were not prompted. Rather, people were encouraged to articulate their motivations in their own words. This provided up to 30 categories of responses, which were condensed into a smaller number of categories for analysis.
5.1 Reasons for using the Internet to contact government or access services
People who used the Internet to contact government generally did so because they believed it was the most convenient method. That is, the most significant motivator was the Internet allowed them to make contact at a time that suited them.
Key motivators for Internet use are that people could do it at a time that suited them and they believed it was faster.
Figure 5.1 shows the key motivators for Internet use. Of those who made contact with government by the Internet:
- 42% did so because they could do it at a time that suited them and was not limited to business hours;
- 37% said it was faster;
- 21% said the process was easy and uncomplicated; and
- 14% said they were able to control information they wanted and that they did not need to rely on the service person.
Participants in focus groups clarified their motivation to use the Internet. While most acknowledged that time savings and convenience were the most significant factors in encouraging them to use the Internet to contact government, other factors also ranked highly.
The first group of motivating factors were agency related. Participants suggested that they were more motivated to use the Internet over another channel if the agency they were dealing with was trusted, and well known to them. The Australian Tax Office was offered as an example of trusted, respected and well-known organisation.
People were more likely to use the Internet if the contact was routine or standard, extensive dialogue is not required and there is little potential for error
The second group of motivating factors were task related. Participants said they were more motivated to use the Internet if the contact with government is routine or standard, extensive dialogue is not required and there is little potential for error. Payment of vehicle registration was offered as an example of a task in this category. Participants regularly visited familiar websites which provided good information. One respondent stated “I find it [Bureau of Meteorology website] useful and I know I can rely on it”.
The third group of motivating factors centred around the requirements on the individual undertaking the task. People were more motivated to use the Internet if there is no need for credit card details to be provided, and if follow-up was not likely to be required.
Familiarity with a task is a clear determinant of Internet use. Tasks such as vehicle registration or personal tax, were considered by participants to be examples of `highly familiar’ tasks.
5.1.1 Demographic variations in what motivates people to use the Internet to contact government
People tended to be motivated to use the Internet by the same thing, regardless of age group, geography and other demographic indicators.
To determine whether particular groups of people were more or less motivated to use the Internet by particular factors, analysis was undertaken to look for significant demographic differences. Interestingly, people tended to be motivated to use the Internet by the same thing, regardless of age group, geography and other demographic indicators. The only significant difference reported was that people with annual household incomes of more than $50,000 are more likely to be motivated by convenience (87%, compared with 84% of the overall population).
5.2 Reasons for using the telephone to contact government services
People who used the telephone to contact government were asked what motivated them to use the telephone over other channels. Interestingly, many of the top responses were similar to those provided by people who had used the Internet to contact government.
The most significant motivator for telephone use was that they could contact government at a time that suited them and the telephone required less time than other available channels.
Figure 5.2 shows the key reasons identified by telephone users for their preferred form of interaction with government. The most significant motivator for telephone users was the fact that they could do it at a time that suited them (28%) and because they believed that the telephone would require less time than other available channels (23%).
A strong motivator for people to use the telephone was a perception that the process was easy (17% of respondents), along with the desire to speak to a ‘real person’ (12% of respondents). Focus group participants also said that having a real person at the end of the phone line or over the counter provided them with the ability to seek clarification if they need it. This is particularly important for people undertaking complex or ambiguous tasks. Participants also suggested that having a real person to talk to provided an additional level of accountability, a motivating factor when undertaking tasks where follow-up might be required.
Participants suggested that having a real person to talk to provided an additional level of accountability.
5.2.1 Demographic variations in what motivates people to use the telephone to contact government
Analysis was undertaken to determine whether people who were motivated by particular factors to use the telephone had significantly different demographic profiles. Interesting variations include that people motivated by convenience were more likely to have completed secondary school as their highest education level (81% compared with 70% of the general adult population).
People motivated by the desire to ask questions and get answers immediately were more likely to report an annual household income of more than $50,000
People motivated by the desire to ask questions and get answers immediately were more likely to report an annual household income of more than $50,000 (34% compared with 29% of the population).
5.3 Comparing Internet and telephone users
The top three motivating factors were the same for people who had contacted government by Internet and telephone, and ranked in the same order.
People who use the Internet and telephone to contact government services tend to be motivated by the same things in selecting their channel. The top three motivating factors were the same for people who had contacted government by Internet and telephone, and ranked in the same order.
People who used the Internet to contact government nominated convenience as a key reason to a much higher degree than telephone users. For example:
- 42% of people who had used the Internet to contact government were motivated by the opportunity to do it at a time that suited them, compared with 28% of telephone users
- 37% of people who used the Internet to contact government did so because it takes less time, compared with 23% of telephone users
- 21% of people who used the Internet to contact government did so because the process is easy and uncomplicated, compared with 17% of telephone users.
Focus groups supported the survey findings for Internet users, with time benefits emerging as a significant motivator, specifically time to perform the task. All participants, particularly those in regional centres, were highly motivated by time-savings to use the Internet over the telephone and in person contact. This was particularly apparent for tasks performed regularly.
5.3.1 Unique motivators for Internet use
People felt the two-week turnaround for e-tax extremely appealing
The speed at which a response was provided was also a significant motivation for respondents to use the Internet. In regards to completing an income tax return online, participants found the two-week turnaround for e-tax extremely appealing. Several participants who had previously not completed their tax returns online seriously considered doing so once they became aware of the faster speed of response. Although not a government service, an example of the type of transaction that can be completed more quickly via the Internet is share trading. One participant raved about the benefits of online trading (of shares) “I can do it for $20 ... and by the time I checked to see if the order had been received, it had been executed ... it was done in the same moment ... it was quite brilliant”
Contact for information on this page: <a href="mailto:e-government@finance.gov.au">e-government@finance.gov.au</a>