Agencies Fall Short on Web 2.0

Government agencies are falling short when it comes to using social networks, online communities and websites to engage with citizens, new research suggests.

The study, by Harris Interactive and RightNow Technologies, found that 57 percent of Americans age 18 to 65 do not think the federal government is serious about President Obama's recent mandate to be more open with citizens. Ninety-six percent of respondents said the government could improve how they engage with citizens, and nearly 70 percent think that the government should prioritize social networks to engage the public, the study found.

In addition, while respondents admitted that private sector organizations have had great success leveraging social networks, forums and blogs to promote products and engage with customers, 43 percent said it will take the government one to five years to catch up. Twenty-two percent of respondents think the government will never catch up at all.

When asked how they prefer to engage with government, 88 percent of respondents favored phone communication, although online communication was a close second at 77 percent. The results were different for 18 to 34-year-olds, however, who preferred online communication (92 percent) to phone (87 percent) or in-person (79 percent). Only 54 percent of all respondents have actually interacted with the government online, while only 60 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds have interacted with government online or via social networks, the study found.