Phone still favourite way to talk to government

Despite the millions spent on e-government, the landline is still the most common way the public communicates with the government.

The phone was used to contact the public sector by 77 per cent of the people surveyed by consultancy Accenture, while the post was second most common, at 46 per cent, followed by face-to-face communication at 25 per cent.

Internet was only used by 21 per cent in the last 12 months, email or text by 14 per cent and mobile phone by 12 per cent.

Still, online is the most preferred method of contact with the government amongst 18- to 34-year-olds, the survey found. It also said the appeal of mobile channels is growing, particularly among under-50s.

Though landline telephone is the public's preferred method of communication with government, it has the worst expectations of the government's landline service, while the best service is expected from face-to-face contact.

But Accenture said the UK is on the verge of a "dramatic advancement" in the provision of government services to the public as a result of its Transformational Government strategy.

It said the strategy reflects a "critical shift" to a view of technology as an enabler and recognises that other changes have to occur to close the gap between service provision and service value for citizens.