Eye on the e-Citizen

Presentation prepared inDecember 2002 – Still timely

By Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Eye on the e-Citizen

Presentation Outline

• Introduction• Citizen Life• E-reality• Activating e-Citizens• Conclusion

Introduction

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Introduction

•e-Citizen October 20, 2012

•What do you envision?

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Introduction• E-democracy is:

– the use information and communication technologies and strategies

– by “democratic sectors”

– within the political processes of local communities, states, nations and on the global stage.

Political Organizations

Private SectorGovernment

Media and Commercial

Content

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Introduction

• E-democracy:– is now, what kind is it?

– is accelerating “as is” politics

– will promote active citizen participation and the public interest only if the “e-citizen” perspective is understood and built upon

Political Organizations

Private SectorGovernment

Media and Commercial

Content

E-Citizens

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Introduction

• E-democracy should seek to:– improve the democratic outcomes of the

policy/political process– engage citizens directly in meeting public

challenges

• Involvement for the sake of involvement has limited value.

• E-democracy must make a qualitative difference.

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Introduction

• Questions to consider …

• What does the e-citizen:– experience?– think?– say they want?– really do online?

• How can we best use online tools and strategies to achieve better public outcomes?

Citizen Life

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Citizen Life

• Time – People are busy.– Time use studies provide valuable insights.– Civic activities account for a small portion of

time.– The United States is starting one now.

– Most studies have found that Internet use displaces time spent with mass media.

– Information and interactivity can reach people at different places through different technologies and channels.

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Citizen Life

• Confidence and Trust – Not much?– The public is less confident in itself than our leaders.

How much confidence do you have in the public as a whole when it comes to making judgments about what general direction elected and government officials should take on various issues facing the nation?

Source: Public Perspective – Government by the People, Kaiser Family Fund survey released March 30, 2001

– Trust in government low – 69% trust it to handle national security, only 38% trust it to handle domestic social issues, 61% sometimes/neverSource: ABC News, January 2002 in Public Perspectives July/Aug 2002

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Citizen Life

• Voting – Sometimes.– In 2002, ~39% of eligible voters voted

• Record lows in CA 31.5%, AZ 27%, IN 34%, etc.

• National highs MN 61.4%, SD 61.3%, ME 50.6% Source: Committee for the Study of the American Electorate

– In 2000, 50% of eligible voters voted, citizen response: • Democratic system is strong and working well: 25%

• Democratic system not strong and not working well: 67%Source: NBC News/Wall Street Journal, Dec 7-10, 2000

– Young voters (18-24)?• 16% voted in 1998 mid-term election (Census Bureau)

• 13% predicted in 2002 (no exit polls) (Press report)

• UK YVote?YNot report: If not sure how, 76% would ask parents how to vote, 9 % at polling station, 5% a friend

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Citizen Life

• Influence - – 68% of the public feels the views of the majority should

influence government decisions “a great deal,” 26% a fair amount

– 9% feel the majority actually has a great deal of influence, 41% a fair amount

– Disconnect - Policy leaders and media see the public having a much greater impact than the public sees

– Disconnect 2 – Public underestimates influence of lobbyists and special interests as well as the influence they have when they contact government/elective leaders

– Disconnect 3 – The public wants campaign contributors and journalists to have less influence than others

Source: Public Perspective – Government by the People, Kaiser Family Fund survey released March 30, 2001

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Citizen Life

• Connecting - Civic things we want.– The “best ways for officials to learn what a majority of

people in our country think about important issues.” Source: Kaiser

– “Very important” Campaign conduct• candidates agreeing to participate in forums where the

public can question candidates directly – 75%• agreeing to participate in public debates - 71% • disclosing campaign finances in the Internet - 44% • Source: Public Perspectives, Nov/Dec 2002

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Citizen Life

• Citizen Categories

– 1. Active• Always vote• Belong to civic groups• Attend public meetings• Write to public officials• Donate to

campaigns/causes

– 2. Informed• Read newspapers,

watch/listen to news• Feel informed,

sometimes act• Normally vote

– 3. Passive• Watch TV news

sometimes

• Sometimes vote

• Turned off by politics

– 4. Disengaged• Tuned out, news?

• Don’t vote

• Often young

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Citizen Life

• Making a difference – Questions to ask– What encourages citizens to get involved? To

change their normal routine?

– What makes involvement an empowering experience? What frustrates people?

– What forms of participation can compete for attention? What about online forms?

– What strategies work better with different types of citizens? How do we complement what we know works with online assistance?

e-Reality

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

e-Reality• American adults online – Slow growth?

– Percentage of adults online in the U.S. – 59%– Percentage of those online who went online yesterday – 57% (or

34% of all adults or 64 million people)– Online at home? 43% yesterday, 45% not yesterday,

12% don’t go online at home– Online at work? 25% yesterday, 25% not yesterday,

50% don’t go online from work– Numbers holding steady over last year.

Source: Pew Internet Oct 2002 Survey

– Affluent population drives current Internet user growth 11-20%, households under $50,000/yr less than 5% Source: Neilsen/NetRatings

• Population % online varies by state:– Top: AK 68.8, MN 63.5, NH 63.5, WY 62.3, MD 61.4– Lower: CA 52.1, TX 51.2 … AL, AK, LA, MI 46.2 – 41.8

Source: 2002 State New Economy Index, using government NTIA 2001 data

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

e-Reality

• Time on the web, average each month– Home

• 12:07 hours• visit 49 sites• 23 sessions• 55 seconds a pageSource: Neilsen/NetRatings October 2002

• Broadband (BB) provides “always-on” convenience– As of Jan. 2002, 1/2 time online from BB users, only 21% of at-

home online pop. (not households) have BB in U.S.. Source: Neilsen/NetRatings

– South Korea, 95% of users have BB ~$28 month and spend 16:17 hours online each month Source: ACNeilsen eRatings

– Work • 31:08 hours• visit 95 sites• 56 sessions• 61 seconds a page

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

e-Reality

• Where oh where online – From home, Oct. 2002

Source: Neilsen/Netratings

U.S. Government ranks #4 from work. Wasn’t measured until this year.

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

e-Reality• E-mail is king

– Top three web properties include e-mail centric uses.– Pew Internet - Of adult Internet users each day:

• 50% send/read e-mail, 93% have ever• 29% use search engine, 85% have ever• 3% buy a product, 61% have ever• 5% download music files, 32% have ever

– Opt-in E-mail newsletters are hot, click-through range from 9.5% by catalog companies to 4.4% for the hospitality industry, Source: DoubleClick

– Web banner ad click-through often under 0.5%

• E-mail strengthens private connections among family and friends. What about “public life?”– Online groups offer opportunity – 84% of Net users have used

the net to contact or get information from a group. 79% of them stay in regular online contact Source: Pew Internet, Online Communities

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

e-Reality• Getting Informed

– According to Markle Foundation Internet Acct. Survey:• 91% Internet users find the Internet informative• Top benefits: 61% cite information/knowledge, 27%

e-mail/communication, 23% convenient/fast, 5% shopping• Image: 45% library, 15% highway, 14% mall … 3% town hall

Source: Markle Foundation Internet Accountability Study Chapter 1

– More Pew Internet daily numbers:• 26% Get news online on average day, 68% have ever• 11% Look for political news/information, 45% have ever (rising)• 9% Visit a government web site, 56% have ever

– Power Users access online newspapers• 37% have broadband at home, three times more likely to have high speed

office connection• Readers are online almost twice the average 18:00 versus 10:00• General users online 5-10pm when newspaper sites receive lowest use• 48% sought local news past year• 47% like e-mail best, 15% national/world news, 9% local news• 13% interested in political news, (37% yes in their online survey)

Source: Power Users: Profile of Online Newspaper Consumers, May 2002

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

e-Reality• Trust. Online?

– 23% feel you can trust most things you read online– 70% feel you have to question truthfulness of most things you

read onlineSource: Markle Internet Accountability Survey

• Trust. Credibility. Usability. Looks Matter.– Net users trust Federal government more than web sites

offering consumer advice, selling products– Users say they want:

• 1. Easy to navigate sites• 2. Ability to trust site information• 3. Ability to identify information sources• 4. Knowing site is updated frequently• 5. Being able to find out important fact about a site• 6. Knowing who owns the web site

– Credible sites must actually look good first except for non-profit sites where identity of site operator was top concern

Source: Consumer WebWatch’s A Matter of Trust and How do People Evaluate a Web Site’s Credibility

Activating e-Citizens

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens

• Combining civic life with e-reality.

• Need to figure out what people say they want versus what they really do.

• In general, we need more survey research and analysis on strategic use of the Internet/ICTs to improve citizen participation, policy development, and governance between elections.

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens• e-Citizens – Online campaigning, someone always wins/loses

– 2002 information on Internet role in elections emerging• Provider of election information to major sites reported 60% increase

in traffic in 2002 - Source: Capitol Advantage

• Politicalweb.info found that 64% of all candidates for U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and Governor had their own web sites. Incumbents 75%, challengers 60%, third parties 45% - Source: Politicalweb.info

– From the Institute for Politics Democracy and the Internet (fmr Democracy Online Project) in 2000. Of internet users:

• 54% sent or received e-mail jokes about the candidates or campaign• 39% sent or received e-mail about the election with friends or family• 35% used the Net to get information about politics, campaigns, or

issues – of this group, 40% felt Net important to deciding their vote• 25% contacted or got information about political campaigns• 10% contacted partisan interest groups• 10% participated in live chat or web-based discussion• 2% donated money to non-partisan organizations• 1% donated money to political candidatesSource: Post-Election 2000 Survey on Internet Use for Civics and Politics

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens• e-Citizens – E-Government and accountability

– E-Government must deliver democracy not just service. Survey says, most important benefit of e-government:• 36% Government more accountable to citizens• 23% Greater public access to information• 21% More efficient/cost-effective government• 13% More convenient government servicesSource: Center for Excellence in Government, E-Government – The Next American Revolution, Sept 2000

– How can e-gov improve accountability – most important way?• 29% allow citizens to communicate their opinions on major issues to

officials quickly and easily• 21% allow citizens to tell government agencies about info they need or

problems they experience• 21% give the public more info about the govt’s policies & decisions• Also, 66% say that it is very or fairly important that e-government

investments enable them to stay informed and voice their concerns and opinions to Congress

Source: Ctr. Excellence in Gov, e-Government to Connect, Protect, and Serve Us , Feb 2002

– 36% gov’t web sites users have high trust in government compared to 22% of those online with high trust who have not Source: Center for Excellence in Government, January 2001 Supplemental Poll

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens• e-Citizens – Elected Officials and E-mail

– Local elected officials use e-mail effectively• 88% for their official duties, 61% daily• 73% online officials say e-mail with constituents helps them better

understand public opinion• 56% improves relations with local groups• 32% have been persuaded by e-mail campaigns on merit• 21% e-mail lobbying campaigns opened eyes to strong opinions about

which they were previously unaware• 61% of online officials agree e-mail can facilitate public debate, but 38%

say e-mail alone can’t carry full debate on complex issuesSource: Pew Internet – Digital Town Hall, Oct. 2002

– Citizens in online groups provide foundation for two-way governance• 13% often or sometimes email public officials• 11% of Internet users say they are aware of at least one local issue

where the net played a role in organizing citizens to communicate with public officials.

• Percentage doubles to 22% for Internet users who are active members of online communities. Source: Pew Internet, Online Communities

– E-mail overload and spam a problem in U.S. Congress

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens

• What to do?– Develop strategies that attempt to move citizens up one

step• 1. Active citizens

• 2. Informed citizens

• 3. Passive citizens

• 4. Disengaged citizens

– Most “e-democracy” projects sought multi-step improvements (shot for moon, got half-way) and did not meet overly optimistic expectations

– Develop support for democracy at each level with appropriate technologies and strategies

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens

• Disengaged citizens– Start early – develop online civic K-12

education components that establish expectations for Internet/ICTs use in society

– 18-30 – Find out where they really are online, what they do online and work to introduce tailored political information experiences within those sites

– Be realistic – the Internet is a medium that normally requires information seeking

– Study how low income/education groups use the Internet, purchase cheaper banner ad space for “civic” branding efforts?

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens

• Passive Citizens– Utilize “Tell a friend” and viral e-mail features.– Create a site where parents/relatives can

create an online voter/participation information CARE package with “tracking” for senders

– Leverage e-government service transaction opportunities (online taxes, etc.) to introduce trust building information

– Partner with local news and entertainment sites to build awareness of civic news and opportunities, particularly volunteer listings

– Online polls are entry point activity

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens

• Informed Citizens– MyBallot.Net 2004 et al

• Presidential primary offers tremendous early opportunity for .org/media online participation efforts

• Change the relationship between informed undecided/persuadable voters and the campaigns

– “Select a candidate/party” concepts highly popular, adapt for use between elections

– Online advocacy – share best practices, study ill effects, online efforts that improve things – avoid turning off informed citizens

– Develop online “constituent services” from elected officials– Bring “public life” into e-mail communication through

neighborhood and city/regional online groups – “the commons online”

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Activating e-Citizens

• Active citizens– e-Citizen Portal – Create a trusted national network of local

and state starting points for effective citizen participation – cannot be top-down

• Help the 1% who “show up,” including elected officials, interest groups, and activists improve public policy outcomes

• Connect people and organizations solving public problems from the local level on up based on communities of practice/interest

– Hold “Online Town Halls” or consultations – primarily hosted by government and non-profits

– Extend the “Commons Online” up to statewide and national info exchange networks, connect to Congress

– Establish Government E-Democracy applications – including personalized meeting notices, and legislative issue tracking

Conclusion

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Conclusion

• Measure and evaluate the right things– Does it save the time it takes to become informed

or sustain involvement?– Does it increase the quality of the information

available in desired formats and delivery channels?

– Does it enable society and government to effectively accommodate and incorporate higher levels of input and involvement?

– Does it build “public life,” strengthen trust among people and their government, or inspire us to believe that we can make a difference?

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Conclusion

• The Internet and ICTs are accelerating “as is” politics.

• We must intervene in the public interest based on our experience and knowledge.

• It is time use the advantages of this new medium to improve people’s lives and the world around us.

Eye on the e-CitizenCopyright 2002, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Further Information

• Democracies Online Newswirehttp://www.e-democracy.org/doOver 2500 people around the world exchanging announcements, news, and articles related to e-democracy, e-government, and e-politics.

• E-Democracy Resources Flyerhttp://publicus.net/articles/edemresources.htmlLinks to the top e-democracy starting points on a two page flyer available in HTML, Word, and PDF.

• Publicus.Net http://www.publicus.netMore articles and presentations by Steven Clift