GOL/Service Delivery Public Opinion Research Findings and Trends Overview

1. GOL/Service DeliveryPublic Opinion Research Findings and Trends Overview Cathy Ladds April 2003

2. Public Opinion Research is Important: Government of Canada is a world leader because we include the “citizen” in the evolution of GOL and service transformation • Accenture calls our Internet Panel with Canadians “innovative” Thousands of Canadians have had input • In FY 2002/2003 – more than 10,000 Canadians (+ business and international audiences as well) participated in surveys and focus groups related to GOL and service transformation

3. International Perspectives: Canada’s e-government efforts always rated at or near the top: • Accenture– eGovernment Leadership: Engaging the Customer • Canada is No.1 for 3rd year in a row – only country to reach “service transformation” maturity stage • UN – Benchmarking E-government A Global Perspective • Canada in 3rd (USA No.1) – high e-government capacity • TNS – Government Online an International Perspective • Canada in 7th (Sweden No.1) – 48% of population used government on-line services in past year • Global Information Technology Readiness Report • Canada ranks 12th overall (USA No.1) but 6th in terms of e-government • The Economist Intelligence Unit e-readiness rankings • Canada ranks 9th overall (USA No.1)

4. How Canadians Use Service Delivery Channels: Internet: • Most surveys say 65% to 75% of population use the Internet on a regular basis – growth is considered flat • 49% of Canadian households had at least one household member regularly using the Internet from home in 2001 (StatsCan - HIUS) • Demographics: • Gender differences are almost gone • Age, income and education differences remain • Regional differences remain • Alberta, BC, Ontario – higher • Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nfld., Quebec - lower • 70% of Internet users have visited a federal Web site • 27% of Canadians indicated their most recent contact with GoC was through Internet

5. How Canadians Use Service Delivery Channels: Internet: • Internet channel is used more for information (simple requirements) than transactions (complex requirements) • Even Internet panel members indicated they would go in-person (46%) or use the telephone (29%) if they needed to provide or receive very important/personal information from GoC - only 14% said they would use the Internet Telephone: • Telephone remains the preferred channel although Internet channel is growing – most recent contact via telephone (42%) • Canadians are clearly frustrated with telephone channel • IVR and voice mail • Being bounced around • Busy lines • Who to call – blue pages still hard to use

6. How Canadians Use Service Delivery Channels: In-Person: • Use of this channel is constant – 9% • Strengths - customized/personalised service and ability to deal with serious/ complex issues – users looking for “human touch” • Time is main drawback of channel Mail: • Use of this channel is also constant – 21% • Strengths – Confirmation/documentation and inexpensive cost • Lack of immediacy is main drawback

7. Service Delivery in a Multi-Channel World: • Service quality has a major impact on citizens’ confidence in government and they expect greater quality of service from government than private sector • Channel integration increasingly important – half of all service transactions now involve more than one channel • Prime reason for multiple channels: inability to conclude transactions in one channel • Canadians would prefer to only use one channel but do see some benefits in using multiple channels – preparation, verification, etc. • The more contacts required to complete a transaction the lower the satisfaction rate – the key factor in this is time

8. Service Delivery in a Multi-Channel World: • Citizens feel the government service delivery network will evolve to a “bank model” – greater use of technology and greater integration of channels • “Account” information will follow the user regardless of channel • Canadians (Internet and non-Internet users) value choice: • Elimination/reduction of access to channels by GoC = NO • GoC should recommend the best (most efficient) channel = YES • 91% of the GOL Internet panelists agreed with the statement “When dealing with the GoC, you can choose how to access information or services (e.g. on-line, by telephone, by regular mail and/or in-person).”

9. GoC Organization of Information and Web Sites Gateways and Clusters – the Blueprint and Beyond : • Validation projects have demonstrated the blueprint for gateways and clusters matches (and often exceeds) Canadians’ expectations – subject/audience clustering is mostly on-target • Canadians don’t want to see a reduction in clusters – each “transition cluster” considered valuable according to recent focus groups • Some navigation/usability issues remain but these are being addressed – gateways/clusters work closely on common issues • New Canada Site redesign in March 2003 – will need to examine metrics to determine if there are any changes in traffic patterns • Individual gateways and clusters do usability/web testing studies – data is shared widely

10. GoC Organization of Information and Web Sites : Common Look and Feel: • Canadians want GoC sites to: • Have uniform navigation buttons – that way they only have to learn how to navigate GoC sites once • Have uniform menus • Have a similar “look” but they don’t have to be exactly the same – colour, graphics, layout variations are okay • Clearly display the Canada wordmark and Canada flag – sense of trust and knowing where they are on the Web • But: • Visitors are not making full use of the CLF menu bar at the top of the page • Some terminology confusing – e.g. important notices & privacy statements • Canadians are not aware that CLF is in place in order to make GoC web sites more globally accessible to everyone

11. Impact of Privacy/Security of Service Delivery: • Canadians consider privacy/security factors when interacting with GoC • Canadians support GoC efforts to increase security and protect personal privacy – they also understand why governments need more mechanisms in place to protect personal information • Concern about identity theft is growing – primarily, but not exclusively, an on-line issue • Internet perceived to be least private/secure channel – 70% of Canadians are concerned (somewhat to extremely) with conducting a transaction on-line that requires the exchange of confidential or personal information with GOC • Canadians want access to the government’s information about them – to verify/correct

12. Impact of Privacy/Security on Service Delivery: • Canadians are not sure what federal depts are doing with their personal information: • All depts. have easy access (34%) • All depts. have access through special request to dept. holding information (25%) • All depts. have access but only with a person’s consent (19%) • All depts. except for the one being dealt with are prohibited from accessing the information (18%) • Further evidence – 71% of Web site visitors have not read a government privacy statement • In general, 65% support mandatory ID cards for Canadians – 70% support them if they contained biometric information; but they have clear doubts about the ability of the GoC to put a national system in place

13. Engaging Canadians On-Line: • One in three (33%) of Canadians have participated in consultation or engagement exercise in past year (on-line or off-line) – note: Canadians consider a telephone survey/poll to be consultation • Elements of consultation exercise that will likely increase participation: • Representativeness – all sides are heard, national representation • Feedback loop and decision-maker commitment – participants need to see that decisions will be taken and changes made based on input provided • Modest enthusiasm exists for e-democracy/e-consultation • 68% of Cdns. say they would likely participate in a face-to-face consultation with govts. on an issue of interest to them – 59% say they would participate in an Internet consultation • 46% of Internet users are moderately comfortable and 38% are comfortable registering their views and opinions on a federal site – main reasons for discomfort relates to privacy/security/anonymity • 42% of Internet users approve of e-voting

14. Engaging Canadians On-Line: • Benefits of on-line approaches: • Ease/speed of access, input and response • Cost effective • Less intimidating than face-to-face • Concerns about on-line approaches: • What about Canadians without the technology – will they be left out of the consultation process? • Security/privacy – who else will see my opinions? • Canadians are split on whether technologies such as Internet will harm or improve overall democracy – daily Internet users less likely to see harm (35%) compared to non-users (58%) • One of the most frequent requests made in focus groups – Cdns want to have easy access to the e-mail address of MP – want to be able to contact MP on-line

15. Canadians Want to be Informed: • Canadians are always telling us they want to know more about government services that are available (on-line and off-line) and the best way to access them • Canadians reviewed a list of GoC services – services they believed could be completed entirely on-line without having to go to an office were: • Check for weather reports from Environment Canada (93%) • Book a campsite in a National Park (83%) • File your personal income taxes (82%) • Provide comments/feedback on a new GoC policy/program (81%) • Take a virtual tour of a national museum (78%) • Apply for CPP or OAS (57%) • Register a new business (56%) • File for a patent for a new product or invention (52%) • Apply for EI (47%) • Obtain a SIN number for a child (35%) • Apply for a passport (31%)

16. Canadians Want to be Informed: Advertising Campaigns: • 46% GOL Internet Panelists recalled seeing a Canada Site ad in the past few months (67% of these recalled seeing TV ad) • Public transit ad campaign – 18% of regular transit users recalled seeing ad about a GoC Internet site • 7% said they did something as a result of seeing ad – e.g. visit the site, read the ad, write down address, etc. Awareness Levels: • Only 10% of Canadians say they are “very familiar” with the range of information/services the GoC currently offers on-line – 56% say they are “not very or not at all familiar” • 25% of Canadians indicated they were aware of the URL for GoC’s main web site – of this group only 7% correctly identified canada.gc.ca • Of the 75% unaware of the URL, 7% guessed it would be canada.ca and 7% guessed gov.ca

17. Directions Provided by the Research: • Canadians are looking for seamless service delivery – it shouldn’t matter which channel or how many channels are used • More marketing/communications required – we need to tell Canadians (also businesses and international) what we have available and the best way to access it • Messaging should highlight: • benefits – especially ease and convenience • choice • how personal information is safe and secure • Regular testing will continue to be important as Canadian usage of service delivery channels evolve • Research participants appreciate and recognize the value of being involved – they leave with a positive impression of GoC

18. TBS-CIOB’s Planned Research Initiatives: • GOL Internet Panel • Refresh/renew panel members – contracting underway using MERX • Two on-line surveys and one set of on-line focus groups planned for FY 2003/2004 • Taking Care of Business/Business First • ICCS managing project with partner input at all stages • Phase 5 to carry out business equivalent of Citizens First • Fieldwork in the summer – results Dec./Jan. • Ekos – Rethinking the Information Highway • Fieldwork this spring – results early summer • Communications/Marketing Focus Groups • TBD • Epass/Privacy/Security Research • TBD • Gateway/Cluster Research • TBD

19. APPENDIX Listing of Public Opinion Research Projects FY 2002-2003

20. 2002/2003 – Public Opinion Research Study List: • GOL/e-Government Internet Panel – 3 separate projects 2. Ipsos-Reid Omnibus Telephone Survey (March 2003) • Ekos-Rethinking the Information Highway (Summer 2002) • Ekos-Rethinking Citizen Engagement (Winter 2003) • Compas – Multi-Channel Service Delivery Focus Groups (Jan. 2003) • Phase 5 – epass, authentication and information sharing (Jan. 2003) • Business Gateway – Transition Cluster Focus Groups (Winter 2003) • Canadians Gateway –Transition Cluster Focus Groups (Winter 2003) • Phase 5 – Canada Site Prototype Focus Groups (March 2003) • Ipsos-Reid – Qualitative Research on the Canada Site (Dec. 2002)

21. 2002/2003 - Public Opinion Research Study List: • Phase 5 – About Canada focus groups (Fall 2002) • On-Line Survey – New look for About Canada (June 2002) • On-Line Survey – Customisation/e-mail notification/feature enhancements (Oct. 2002 – March 2003) • Phase 5 - Qualitative Research - Foreign Language Services (Fall 2002) • Doing Business With Canada – Research with Foreign Representatives • Going to Canada – Usability Testing (March 2003) • Web Validator – Export Source (June 2002) • Environics – Virtual Trade Commissioner Focus Groups (October 2002) • Leger Marketing – Evaluation of CultureCanada.gc.ca Web site with International Audiences (May 2002) • Canadians Abroad Interviews (Jan/Feb. 2003)

22. 2002/2003 - Public Opinion Research Study List: • Strathmere – Consumer Information Gateway - Online Satisfaction Survey (June 2002) • Delta Media – Concept/Needs Testing for the “Canadian Consumer Information Gateway” (Dec. 2002) • Goss Gilroy Inc., Consumer Information Gateway - Online Survey of Gateway Partners, 2003 • Goss Gilroy Inc., Consumer Information Gateway - Evaluation; Draft Report (March 2003) • Delta Media Inc. - Consumer Needs Assessment for Possible Enhancements to “Canadian Consumer Information Gateway” and New Product Development Ideas for OCA (March 2003) • Phase 5 – Justice & the Law Cluster – Web Site Usability (Nov. 2002) • PriceWaterhouseCoopers/GPC – Modernizing Services for Cdns. (Nov. 2002) • Decima – Awareness of the Virtual Museum (May 2002) • Usability Testing of Calendar Club Site/Other Materials for NRCan (May 2002) • Vision – Web Usability Testing of the Natural Hazards Portal (June 2002)

23. 2002/2003 - Public Opinion Research Study List: • Public Safety Portal – Online Surveys of Customer Satisfaction Waves I and II (Nov./Dec. 2002 and Feb. 2003) • Canada and the World – Usability Testing (March 2003)