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Introduction

2.1 About the Study

This study is the fifth in a series exploring Australians’ use and satisfaction with e‑government services (provided through the internet and telephone). The studies commenced in 2004–05 and have been repeated each year since 2006.

The studies1 examine:

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

The study consists of a quantitative telephone survey and qualitative focus group research to better understand the results from the telephone survey. The telephone questionnaire was refined in 2008 to reflect technology changes and maintain the relevance of the studies for service delivery policy development and design. Some new questions were added and others modified or deleted. In addition, the 2008 and 2009 studies explored in greater depth some issues and trends highlighted in 2007. These include the gap between preference for contacting government by internet and actually doing so, and preferences for future service delivery.

More detail about the study and its methodology is contained in Appendix 1. Definitions of terms used in the study are in Appendix 2.

2.2 Background

To provide a context for the findings about e‑government, the study explores general use of the internet. The general topics explored in the study have been expanded in recent years to include access to broadband and use of other communication technologies. These issues are explored in more detail in 2008 and 2009 than in previous years.

2.3 General Use of the Internet

The population covered by this time series is Australians over 18 years old who had contact with government in the previous twelve months. The proportion of these who are internet users (but not necessarily for contact with government) is similar to 2006, 2007 and 2008: four in five (82%).

There are some differences in internet use among different groups of the population. The relationship between age and internet use identified in 2007 continued in 2008 and remains evident in 2009, with most people aged 18 to 54 using the internet. The group that has seen the biggest increase in internet use since last year are the 45 to 54 year olds, whose rate of internet use has increased from 81% in 2008 to 87% in 2009. Three‑quarters (76%) of those aged 55 to 64, and half (49%) of those 65 or more now use the internet.

Figure 1 Trends in general internet use by age

Figure 1 Trends in general internet use by age. Text description follows

Text description of Figure 1 Trends in general internet use by age

Q1. Do you use the internet?
Base: All respondents (n=3667)

Overall, those living in regional Australia (1,000 to 100,000 residents) are still the least likely to use the internet (76%), and their rate of growth in internet use has not been as strong as those who live in other areas (74% in 2008). Those from a metropolitan area (over 100,000 residents) and those who live in rural or remote communities (under 1,000 residents) have the highest levels of internet use (both 85%, compared with 79% and 80% respectively in 2008).

One regional focus group participant explained his view on why metropolitan and rural communities may have higher rates of internet access than those in regional areas. 

‘I think it depends on the physical situation. I can deal with any Council matters every time I go to the post office because the [shire] office is right next door. If you are in a big city you have got to have access to something like the web these days.  If you are out in the country the web can be very handy if you have got broadband.’

Others in regional areas noted the different channel choices that they make depending on which level of government they are dealing with.

‘Well I’m happy to work with the Local Regional Council over the counter. They are people we meet in the shop. They probably live 300 metres down the road.  We’re all part of the community together. It’s different when you’re dealing with some of the State or particularly with the Federal departments.’

2.4 Broadband Connection

The proportion of people with a broadband connection has increased from 68% in 2008 to 76% in 2009.

Figure 2 General internet use and broadband connection

Figure 2 General internet use and broadband connection. Text description follows
Text description of Figure 2 General internet use and broadband connection

Q1. Do you use the internet?
Q2A. Do you have a broadband connection?
Base: All respondents (n=3667)
Note: The question on broadband connection was not asked in 2004–05.

Three‑quarters (73%, up from 66% in 2008) of those who have contacted government in the past twelve months use the internet and have a broadband connection. A further four per cent do not use the internet even though they have a broadband connection. 

One in ten (9%) use the internet but do not have a broadband connection. One in seven (14%) do not use the internet and do not have a broadband connection.

Although those living in metropolitan and rural/remote areas have the same level of internet use (85%), there are differences in broadband access. Four in five (80%) who live in metropolitan areas have a broadband connection, in contrast to three‑quarters (73%) of rural/remote residents. While all areas have seen a similar level of growth in broadband access, regional residents have had a slower rate of growth in internet use than those living in other areas.

Since the last study, there has been an increase in the proportion of people living in rural or remote areas who do not have a broadband connection because it is not available in their area. In 2009, a third (34%) of those without broadband reported this as the reason for not having it, compared with one in five last year (18%). This compares with one in five (18%) of those from regional areas who do not have a broadband connection because it is not available and six per cent of those who live in a metropolitan area.

A focus group participant from a regional area noted that they only had broadband connected recently.

‘We only got ours eight months ago.  They rang and said oh you now qualify for broadband, we had dialup. It’s a lot quicker.’

Figure 3 Broadband connection and internet use by location

Figure 3 Broadband connection and internet use by location. Text description follows

Text description of Figure 3 Broadband connection and internet use by location

Q1. Do you use the internet?
Q2A. Do you have a broadband connection?
Base: All respondents (n=3667)

Households with children are more likely to have a broadband connection than households without children. Nine in ten (92%) households of couples with children have a broadband connection, higher than couples with no dependent children (73%). Single parents with dependent children are more likely to have a broadband connection (79%) than single adults with no dependent children at home (53%).

Figure 4 Broadband connection by household type

Figure 4 Broadband connection by household type. Text description follows

Text description of Figure 4 Broadband connection by household type

Q2A. Do you have a broadband connection?
QD2. Which of the following best describes your household? 
Base: Respondents with a broadband connection (n=2743)

2.4.1 Reasons for not having a broadband connection

The most common reasons for not having broadband are a belief it is too expensive (26%) and that no benefit could be seen in a connection (19%). Twelve per cent did not use the internet enough to require it, while some (9%) simply had not got around to it or found it too difficult or too complicated (7%). One in ten (12%) reported that broadband was not available where they lived and a similar proportion did not have a computer (11%). These results are similar to 2008.

2.5 Use of Communication Technologies

All respondents were asked about their use of communication technologies. Nine in ten (88%) people undertake at least one of these activities at least monthly, if not more regularly.

Use of email and SMS

Email and text messaging continue to have relatively high levels of use:
email, used by 80% (up from 75% in 2008)
text messaging using a mobile (SMS3), used by 69% (up from 61% in 2008).

2.5.2 Use of other communication technologies

While there was no significant shift in patterns of use between the 2007 and the 2008 studies for the other communication technologies, the results from the 2009 study show a greater rate of take‑up, particularly for social networking sites, SMS and accessing the web via a mobile phone or similar portable device. The most popular of the other communication technologies are:

Figure 5 Use of email, SMS and other communication technologies

Figure 5 Use of email, SMS and other communication technologies. Text description follows

Text description of Figure 5 Use of email, SMS and other communication technologies

QD1. Do you do any of the following online activities at least monthly?
Base: All respondents (n=3667)
Note 1: Respondents were able to provide more than one activity.
Note 2: ‘Used wikis’ and ‘use a social networking site ’were not asked in 2007.  ‘Use Twitter’ was added in 2009.  ‘Text messaging using your mobile’ became ‘SMS or text messaging using your mobile’ in 2009.  ‘Use the web via your mobile phone’ became ‘Use the web via your mobile phone or similar portable device’ in 2009. 

There is a strong correlation between use of communication technologies and age, with nearly all those under 55 involved in some form of activity at least once a month. Although those aged 65 or more remain the lowest users of these technologies, they are the group who has seen the biggest increase, rising from 49% in 2008 to 59% in 2009. 

Social networking and SMS are the technologies that have seen the biggest increases since 2008.

Figure 6 Use of email, SMS and other communication technologies—by age

Figure 6 Use of email, SMS and other communication technologies—by age. Text description follows

Text description of Figure 8 Use of email, SMS and other communication technologies—by age

QD1. Do you do any of the following online activities at least monthly?
Base: All respondents (n=3667)

In 2008 there were differences in the age profile of those who used specific technologies at least monthly and those who did not. These trends persist in 2009 however the mean age for use of each technology has increased.

Social networking sites, for example, are more likely to be used by younger people with an average age of 35, compared with an average age of 53 for non‑users. Those using a mobile phone to access the web are also likely to be younger, with an average age of 36 compared with 48 for non‑users. There is less of an age difference, however, between those making phone calls over the internet (41 years compared with 47 years). There is a 21 year gap between the average age of those who use at least one newer communication technology monthly (44 years) and those who do not use any (66 years).

The average of those who do not use any of these technologies (at least once a month) is 66 years.

The following figure shows the relative gap between the average age of those who use each specific technology at least monthly and those who do not.

Figure 7 Use of communication technologies—average age of users and non-users

Figure 7 Use of communication technologies—average age of users and non-users. Text description follows

Text description of Figure 7 Use of communication technologies—average age of users and non-users

QD1. Do you do any of the following online activities at least monthly?
Base: All respondents (n=3667)

As noted earlier, those living in regional areas are the least likely to use the internet, although three‑quarters (76%) do. A similar pattern can be seen in the use of communication technologies. While the difference is relatively small, people living in rural/remote and metropolitan regions generally have a higher take‑up rate than regional residents.

Given the relatively high levels of use of communications technologies, there is considerable potential for governments to expand the ways services are delivered to the public, particularly to more remote areas.

There is also a close relationship between use of communications technologies and the degree to which a person already uses the internet.

People who do use the internet

Communication technologies offer other options for governments in communicating with internet users. For example, nearly all (96%) of those who use the internet to contact the government during the previous twelve months use email at least monthly. Most (87%) of those who are internet users but used some other form of communication when contacting government over the previous twelve months, use email regularly.

Internet users are also heavy users of text messaging (80% of those who have used the internet to contact government; 68% of those who have not contacted government by internet) and to a lesser extent instant messaging (40% and 30% respectively).

Social networking sites continue to be an important form of communication with their use growing significantly amongst internet users. Just under half (47%) of those who use the internet and have used it to contact the government in the last twelve months use social networking sites at least monthly (up from 36% in 2008). A third (36%) of those who use the internet but have not used it to contact the government in the last twelve months have used social networking sites monthly (up from 21% in 2008).

Similarly the use of the web via mobile phone has increased. One in five (22%) internet users who have used the internet to contact government and one in seven (14%) who have not, use the web via a mobile phone at least monthly (in 2008 these figures were 15% and 7% respectively). This highlights a need for government websites to be compatible with mobile phone browser limitations in order to capitalise on the increase use of the web via mobile phones.

Just over a half (56%) of those who have contacted government by internet are also news feed readers (RSS). Use of RSS is lower among those who have not used the internet to contact government (38%).

A relatively large proportion of those already using the internet for contact with government also use blogs (34%), post to online forums (26%), or use wikis (27%) and podcasts (24%), all up slightly from 2008.

The use of communication technologies has increased amongst all internet users (those who use internet and have or have not contacted the government via this channel).

People who do not use the internet

Over three in five (63%) of those who do not use the internet do not use any of the communication technologies.

As the 2008 study observed, some of these technologies do offer a potential means of communicating with non‑internet users. For example, just over a quarter (28%) people who do not use the internet did report using text messaging at least once a month.

Footnotes:

  1. The studies collect data about an individual’s most recent contact with government in the previous 12 months and the extent to which they have used the internet during this period. It was not designed to collect all contacts nor the extent to which people use multiple ways of contacting government to resolve an issue. In some cases an individual has reported using more than one service delivery channel as part of their most recent contact with government. This data about use of multiple channels for contact with government should be regarded as indicative only.
  2. Telephone—This refers to use of a landline in this report. In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 respondents have also had the option of nominating a mobile phone, SMS, or using a mobile phone to access the internet as the way they last made contact with government. To date the numbers of responses in these categories have not been of sufficient size allow extensive analysis. Where possible, mobile phone results have been noted, but some caution should be taken due to the relatively small sample sizes. Where sample sizes were too small to allow meaningful analysis, mobile phone results are included in the ‘Other’ category where relevant. References to the telephone in the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 reports exclude these means of contact.
  3. SMS—Short Messaging Service
  4. RSS—Really Simple Syndication – An online file format used to let people know when a certain website or part of a website has been updated with new content (e.g. news bulletins).
  5. Websites such as Facebook or MySpace that let people create profiles about themselves and then communicate with others and form online networks.
  6. Instant messaging—Real time communication between two or more people over the internet.
  7. Blog (Weblog) —A website which provides a list of text articles, videos or opinion pieces and allows people visiting the website to post their own comments on the articles.
  8. Wikis—Wikis are websites which allow multiple users to create, modify and organise web page content in a collaborative manner. Examples include Wikipedia.
  9. Twitter—A  web-based service that lets users send short text messages to a group of people

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Last Modified: 16 April, 2010