Survey shows people prefer using PCs, Web portals to contact agencies
In a new survey by IDC Government Insights, people picked computers and websites as their preferred mode of interaction with federal agencies.
More members of the public prefer to interact with agencies via government Web portals accessed on their personal computers than any other channel, according to a new survey by IDC Government Insights.
The PC/Web portal interaction was the top choice of 36 percent of respondents, and it beat all other forms of interaction, including mail, telephone, e-mail, in person and mobile, the Sept. 12 survey states.
The company surveyed 2,048 people. Portions of the results are available for free at IDC’s website.
Surprisingly, survey respondents preferred accessing federal Web portals via mobile devices less than 1 percent of the time, according to an article at FierceGovernmentIT.com.
However, IDC forecast rapid growth for mobile communications.
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“IDC Government Insights predicts that personal computers will remain a top choice for interactions that require information-rich experiences as well as for filling out forms that can be lengthy and complex, but that smart mobile devices, including tablets, will rapidly become the top choice of citizen interaction,” IDC officials said in a press release. “The company believes that the trend will evolve as government websites and search functions are redesigned for mobile devices.”
FierceGovernmentIT reported that interaction via mail was the top choice of 19 percent of respondents, while 17 percent preferred telephone calls, 14 percent preferred e-mail, and 12 percent preferred in-person communication.
Although federal agencies are currently focusing on open government, that focus will evolve to smart government in the coming years, with tools for optimizing citizen information and services, said Adelaide O'Brien, a research director at IDC Government Insights, in a statement.