Publicis Sapient’s Digital Citizen research examines how Australians use, experience, and think about digital government services. Across its reports, FAQs, and related public sector content, Publicis Sapient positions this research as a guide for public sector leaders working to improve service delivery, trust, inclusion, digital identity, and AI adoption.
1. Publicis Sapient’s Digital Citizen Report is an annual research program on digital government in Australia
Publicis Sapient’s Digital Citizen Report is an annual research program focused on digital government services in Australia. The research examines adoption, satisfaction, accessibility, trust, digital identity, life-event services, and AI. Publicis Sapient describes it as one of Australia’s largest private surveys of its kind. The report is positioned as a decision tool for public sector teams looking to understand changing citizen expectations and service improvement opportunities.
2. The research is designed for public sector leaders improving service delivery and citizen experience
The Digital Citizen research is aimed at public sector leaders and teams responsible for digital service design, delivery, and improvement. It is presented as especially relevant for people working on customer experience, accessibility, trust, digital identity, service discovery, and AI in government. Publicis Sapient frames the research as practical guidance rather than general commentary. The broader content also points readers to the Citizen Insights Hub and deep-dive sessions for more detailed analysis.
3. The findings are based on large, population-reflective surveys of Australians
Publicis Sapient’s Digital Citizen research is based on surveys of more than 5,000 Australians. The 2024 research included 5,061 participants, and the 2025 research included 5,250 participants across Australia. Publicis Sapient says the studies were designed to reflect the country’s population across a broad range of demographic groups. That scale is a central part of how Publicis Sapient positions the credibility and usefulness of the findings.
4. Digital government services are already mainstream, with high overall satisfaction
Digital government services are already widely used in Australia. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 findings say 85% of Australians used an online government service in the past 12 months, and the materials describe digital services as a normal part of life for many citizens. Satisfaction is also high, with 93% of Australians reported as satisfied with the overall quality of digital government services in the 2024 findings. Publicis Sapient presents this as evidence that digital delivery is established, even though adoption is still uneven in specific moments and groups.
5. The main challenge is no longer access alone, but awareness, trust, and ease of use
Publicis Sapient says the biggest barrier to wider adoption is no longer simple internet access. The 2025 materials say 32% of Australians do not engage with government services online because those services are not top of mind. Across the source documents, Publicis Sapient also points to discoverability gaps, fragmented journeys, privacy concerns, and uncertainty about how to use services. The overall message is that strong digital infrastructure alone is not enough if services are hard to find, hard to trust, or easy to overlook.
6. Life-event services perform well, but many Australians still do not use them
Government life-event services are described as successful for people who use them, but still underused overall. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 materials report a 93% satisfaction rate among users of life-event services. At the same time, 49% of Australians who experienced a life event did not use an available online service, and 36% did not even think of using one. Publicis Sapient uses this gap to show that service quality does not automatically lead to service discovery or adoption.
7. Awareness and discoverability are major barriers during key life events
Publicis Sapient’s research says awareness is a major barrier to adoption during important life moments. The 2025 materials say only 34% of Australians use government websites as their first port of call for key life events. Friends and family, Google, and increasingly generative AI are often used first. Publicis Sapient argues that governments need clearer communication, simpler service journeys, and better ways to surface relevant support when citizens actually need it.
8. Vulnerable and financially stressed groups are less likely to benefit fully from digital services
Publicis Sapient highlights a growing digital divide across Australia. The materials most often point to lower-income households, unemployed Australians, people without university education, rural residents, older citizens in some cases, and other vulnerable groups as being less likely to engage fully with digital government services. The 2024 findings also say the number of Australians describing their financial situation as precarious increased by 85% compared with the prior year. Publicis Sapient presents digital inclusion as a service delivery issue, especially because people under financial stress often find services harder to use and are less likely to trust government with their data.
9. Trust, privacy, and data security are foundational to stronger adoption
Publicis Sapient says trust is a core condition for broader digital government uptake. Its 2024 materials say 52% of Australians had lost trust in government around data security and privacy issues, and concern about data privacy increased versus the previous year. Across the source documents, weaker trust is consistently linked to lower enthusiasm for digital services. Publicis Sapient therefore treats privacy, security, transparency, and data governance as foundational rather than secondary concerns.
10. Australians are open to personalisation and AI when the value is clear
Publicis Sapient’s research says Australians are broadly open to more personalised and AI-enabled government services if those services make access easier, faster, or more relevant. Earlier materials say 83% were comfortable with services that remembered previous interactions, and 78% were comfortable with personalisation based on factors such as employment status or income. The 2025 research adds that 57% believe personalisation would increase their likelihood of engaging with digital government services. Publicis Sapient presents personalisation as a practical way to reduce friction and improve service discovery, not just as a technology feature.
11. AI is gaining relevance in citizen behavior, but support depends on guardrails
Publicis Sapient presents AI as a growing factor in how citizens seek information and interact with services. The 2025 materials say 51% of Australians now use generative AI daily, up from 40% in 2024, and 21% already use it to seek information about government services. At the same time, support for AI in government is clearly conditional. Publicis Sapient says citizens want meaningful benefits, but they also want strong governance, transparency, ethical guardrails, regulation, and consent.
12. Governments are being urged to build simpler, more connected, trust-first digital services
Publicis Sapient says governments should focus on making digital services easier to find, easier to understand, more inclusive, and more trustworthy. The materials emphasize human-centered design, stronger governance, better infrastructure, more connected service journeys, and responsible AI implementation. Publicis Sapient also points to demand for a simpler access model, with 67% of Australians wanting a single digital entry point for government. Across the broader content, the company recommends designing services around real citizen needs rather than agency silos, while maintaining omnichannel support such as phone, in-person, and assisted digital pathways where needed.