Accenture's fifth annual global e-government study

them money. (As detailed in the “Promoting take-up
is taking hold” section on page 16, a number of
countries are responding in kind, for example,
providing incentives in the form of extended filing
periods.) Sweden was the one exception. Only
60 percent and 48 percent of Swedish respondents
agreed with those two statements respectively.
The barriers to eGovernment continue to be the
perception (and in some cases, the reality) that
it is difficult for users to find the correct website
for what they want to do and that it is easier to
conduct business over the phone (see Figure 9). In
countries with low Internet penetration, preference
for personal contact is a current barrier to greater
eGovernment uptake. As Internet access develops,
promoting the advantages of eGovernment and
encouraging trial should erode this preference.
As Figure 9 shows, security and privacy issues still
figure into the eGovernment equation, but they
may not figure as prominently as the widespread
perception that other channels are more convenient.
Again, the solution to overcoming this perception
is not only building online services that are as easy
(or easier) to use than traditional channels, but also
marketing them to citizens.
Figure 9: Barriers to more frequent eGovernment use
Internet penetration
Difficult to find the correct
website for what you want
22%
23%
26%
Easier to conduct business over the phone
12%
20%
18%
Easier to conduct business in person
21%
25%
34%
Internet security concerns
14%
17%
16%
Online privacy concerns
15%
18%
16%
Internet is more complicated
6%
5%
8%
No convenient Internet access
4%
4%
5%
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Percentage of all nonregular visitors to government websites
Internet penetration:
High
Medium
Low
27