Georgians express political views through government Web sites
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Forty-three percent of Georgians who use the Internet have visited government Web sites, most often for obtaining information, according to a new poll conducted by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies' Applied Research Center.

But about 20 percent of those used the sites to funnel their opinions on issues directly to government officials and policymakers - a percentage that Andrew Young School of Policy Studies researchers found surprisingly high, given the low number of residents who express their views by voting.

"Our findings suggest that governments are well-positioned to play an important role in the online world as the Internet continues to expand and develop," said Greg Streib, professor of public administration and urban studies. "Right now government Web sites are mainly useful as a means of obtaining information, but if their full interactive potential is realized, they could truly strengthen the bonds between citizens and government."

Streib and fellow researcher John Clayton Thomas, chair of the Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies in the Andrew Young School, developed the survey to find out what types of people are visiting government sites and for what reasons. The poll, conducted in January and February by the Applied Research Center at Georgia State, consisted of a random telephone survey of 827 adults.

Nearly half of Georgia's Web users - 45 percent - who have visited government sites have done so for work-related reasons, the most common of which were to obtain tax information (40 percent of respondents), learn about licensing and permitting requirements (33 percent), apply for jobs (24 percent), or express an opinion on an issue (19 percent). About 9 percent were to register a complaint.

Sixty-eight percent of Georgia's Web users who have visited government web sites have done so for personal reasons. The reasons given for personal visits did not differ much from job-related ones, with information on taxes (38 percent of respondents), licensing/permitting (29 percent) and jobs (22 percent) again topping the list. Twenty percent of personal visits were to express an opinion on an issue, and 15 percent were to register a complaint.

User satisfaction with government sites is high, the survey indicated. Nearly three-quarters of Georgians who visited government sites - 73 percent - rated the quality of the sites as good or excellent. Sixty-two percent of respondents rated the sites' "user friendliness" as good or excellent, while 82 percent gave a high rating to the usefulness of the sites' information.

Despite the high ratings, Streib believes that many governments could do much to make their Web sites more useful tools.

"For example, they could keep people more informed of what's going on by e-mailing updates to those who want news on specified areas of interest, such as issues affecting their particular communities," Streib said. "More sites need to facilitate direct communication between government officials and citizens, so that people feel more engaged in the democratic process."

Applied Research Center monitors public pulse

The Andrew Young School's Applied Research Center conducts a quarterly survey of Georgians, known as the Georgia State Poll, to record respondents' opinions on a variety of policy issues, as well as gauge approval ratings for elected officials.

The center also occasionally conducts national polls, said survey director Charlotte Steeh.

Clients include the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the Georgia Board of Regents, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development.

The center uses a number of research methods to gather data, including computer-assisted telephone interviewing, computer-aided personal interviewing, face-to-face interviews, focus groups, and mail and Web surveys.

The Internet is increasingly becoming an important venue for polling - particularly since about 50 percent of homes now have answering machines, cellular phones or caller-identification equipment that can thwart attempts to capture random samples.

"With the popularity of computers, I think the future of poll sampling will be conducted via Web sites," Steeh said.

RELATED READING: More on the Applied Research Center research and evaluations on various topics, including education, public policy, transportation, pre-kindergarten programs and welfare reform.