A new survey indicates that Americans think putting government services online should be a priority. Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed rated e-government a very high priority, while 25 percent ranked it as a medium priority.
The study, conducted by management and technology consulting firm Andersen Consulting, also revealed that e-government is a bipartisan issue. While 38 percent of those surveyed said Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore would be most likely to increase the availability of government services online, another 36 percent said GOP nominee George W. Bush would be the better e-leader.
Almost three-fourths of the respondents to the poll said they have access to the Internet. Of the Republicans polled, 80 percent had access, while 72 percent of Democrats were connected. And while those who had incomes over $80,000 per year as well as those with a college education were very likely to be online, the survey revealed evidence of an age-based "digital divide." Forty-three percent of those 55 and over said they do not have access to the Internet.
The survey also revealed that even though most citizens endorse the concept of e-government, they are less enthusiastic about certain key services being placed online. Almost half of respondents said they were very uncomfortable with the idea of accessing their personal Social Security information online. Another 35 percent said they would be very uncomfortable filing federal or state taxes or tracking Medicaid or Medicare activity online.
Respondents were more comfortable with the idea of online voting. Sixty-one percent said they would like to be able to vote online in federal elections, and the figure rises to 63 percent and 67 percent for elections at the state and local levels, respectively.
When asked about key characteristics of government Web sites, more than 90 percent of respondents said privacy was very important. Another 87 percent rated security from hackers as critical.
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