Accenture's fifth annual global e-government study

The citizens’ view
Current usage
We found that eGovernment usage in general is
concentrated at both ends of the Internet penetration
spectrum. We attribute this to the fact that in
high-penetration countries, such as the United
States and Australia, people have experience with
the Internet and have explored its potential for
many uses. In lower penetration countries, such as
France, Italy and Spain, the high enthusiasm of the
early adopters also may lead them to explore. In
contrast, some medium penetration countries, such
as the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium, have
the lowest usage rates of eGovernment services,
suggesting the need for exposure to, and actual
experience with, eGovernment to drive take-up.
Germany’s Internet users were the least likely to
have ever used eGovernment. Fewer than half of the
country’s regular Internet users have ever used any
eGovernment service at all.
Figure 6 (below) presents a matrix that shows the
state of eGovernment usage in the 12 countries
surveyed. The four categories of usage are:
• Formative: Below average Internet penetration
and eGovernment use.
• Niche: Below average Internet penetration and
high levels of eGovernment use.
• Stalled: Above average Internet penetration and
below average eGovernment use.
• Mass: Above average Internet penetration and
high levels of eGovernment use.
With the exception of Spain, Internet users’ preferred
channel of interaction with the government
in all countries is indeed the Internet (even though
a sizable minority still prefers in-person service). This
trend was especially true in France and Italy. Again,
this finding may reflect the enthusiasm for “all
things Internet” among the early Internet adopters
in these countries. Countries with lower levels of
Figure 6: The state of eGovernment usage (countries are positioned relative to average Internet
penetration and average eGovernment use)
eGovernment use percentage
100
Niche
Mass
Low
90
80
70
60
Spain
•
France
•
Italy
•
Belgium
•
Singapore
•
United
Kingdom
•
• Ireland
Australia
•
Canada
•
United States
•
Sweden
•
Internet penetration
High
50
Germany
•
40
Formative
Stalled
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
100
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