New Pew publication: The Rise of the E-Citizen: How People Use Government Agencies’ Web Sites.
Fully 68 million American adults have used government agency Web sites – a sharp increase from the 40 million who had used government sites in March 2000 when Pew first polled on the subject. In the report, Pew describes how people exploit their new access to government in wide-ranging ways, finding information to further their civic, professional, and personal lives.
For the e-democracy interested, the report notes: “While many government site users focus on their personal needs in dealing with government agencies, there is abundant evidence that a new “e-citizenship” is taking hold:
- 42 million Americans have used government Web sites to research public policy issues.
- 23 million Americans have used the Internet to send comments to public officials about policy choices.
- 14 million have used government Web sites to gather information to help them decide how to cast their votes.
- 13 million have participated in online lobbying campaigns.”
