Public Sector

Addressing Australia’s growing digital divide to further increase digital services adoption

A vast majority (93%) of Australians expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of digital government services offered as per the findings of our latest Publicis Sapient Digital Citizen Report 2024. This demonstrates that the investments in services that the Australian government has made to improve digital government services are paying off, and the usage of digital government services is high across all states and territories.

The report also highlights that Australia's digital divide has been steadily growing since 2022, leaving those most vulnerable in society behind. The research findings show that some groups are benefitting more from digital services, while those who need them the most still struggle to get access and take advantage of technology.

Our survey, which polled more than 5,000 respondents across demographics to analyse customer expectations, experiences and perspectives of Australian citizens, found that unemployed Australians were less likely to engage with digital services compared to employed citizens. Similar disparities were noted in lower-income households and those without university education. Those in a precarious financial situation also found it harder to use services and were less likely to trust the government with their data.

The findings indicate that digital experiences may be harder to navigate for those under financial stress. The research showed that 33% of low-income households struggled to find or use digital services compared to just 23% of households with higher incomes. Thirty-seven percent of high-income households also rated their experience of digital services as ‘excellent’ versus 26% of lower-income earners. This highlights that when people feel financial pressures and could greatly benefit from government services to alleviate some of their financial stress, they are less likely to get access and support and are at risk of being left behind.

Despite this disparity, it shouldn’t distract from the good work already being done by the government. But there is scope to identify areas for improvement to build stronger, more valuable and flexible digital services.

The future is about ensuring that digital services can reach even the most vulnerable and marginalised sections of society. By expanding the scope of digital inclusion programmes, more Australians will find themselves digitally equipped to navigate – not just government services – but digital payments, healthcare apps and other everyday essential services that have transitioned online after the pandemic.

A key area of opportunity for governments is to expand digital government services to include disadvantaged groups. Equally, the needs of vulnerable populations must be taken into consideration, including those with health issues. Designing services that are human-centric can ensure that any lack of awareness and accessibility to technology among vulnerable groups is addressed so that no one is left behind. Improving digital infrastructure, addressing high costs, expanding technical skills, and addressing unreliable network or mobile coverage in certain geographic areas could accelerate the adoption of digital government services across demographics.