FAQ
Publicis Sapient’s Digital Citizen research examines how Australians use, experience, and think about digital government services. Across these materials, Publicis Sapient highlights strong overall usage and satisfaction alongside persistent challenges around awareness, inclusion, trust, digital identity, and AI.
What is the Publicis Sapient Digital Citizen Report?
The Publicis Sapient Digital Citizen Report is an annual research program focused on digital government services in Australia. It examines how Australians use, experience, and think about government digital services across topics such as adoption, satisfaction, accessibility, trust, digital identity, and AI. Publicis Sapient describes it as one of Australia’s largest private surveys of its kind.
Who is the Digital Citizen Report for?
The Digital Citizen Report is for public sector leaders and teams working to improve digital government services. It is relevant to people focused on service delivery, customer experience, accessibility, trust, digital identity, and AI in government. Publicis Sapient positions the research as a guide to evolving citizen expectations and service improvement opportunities.
How large is the research behind the report?
The research involves more than 5,000 Australians across a broad range of demographic groups. 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.
How widely are digital government services used in Australia?
Digital government services are widely used in Australia, but adoption is not universal in every situation. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 findings say 85% of Australians used an online government service in the past 12 months. The research also describes digital services as a normal part of life for many Australians.
How satisfied are Australians with digital government services?
Overall satisfaction with digital government services is high. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 materials say 93% of Australians were satisfied with the overall quality of digital government services. The same research also highlights a 93% satisfaction rate for life-event services among people who used them.
What is the biggest challenge limiting wider adoption of digital government services?
The biggest challenge is not access alone, but a mix of awareness, trust, inclusion, and ease of use. Publicis Sapient’s 2025 research says many Australians do not engage with government services online because those services are not top of mind. Other materials also point to discoverability, confidence, privacy concerns, and fragmented service journeys as barriers.
Why are online government services still underused during key life events?
Online government services are still underused because many Australians do not think of them, cannot easily find them, or assume they will be difficult to use. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 research says 49% of Australians who experienced a life event did not use an available online service. The 2025 materials continue this theme by showing that government is often not the first place people turn for help.
What does the research say about the awareness gap in digital government services?
The research says awareness is a major barrier to adoption. Publicis Sapient’s 2025 findings say 32% of Australians do not engage with government services online because those services are not top of mind, and only 34% use government websites as their first port of call for key life events. Friends, family, Google, and increasingly generative AI are often used first.
Which groups are less likely to engage with digital government services?
Several groups are less likely to engage fully with digital government services. Publicis Sapient’s materials most often point to lower-income households, unemployed Australians, people without university education, rural residents, and other vulnerable groups. The content also notes that people in precarious financial situations often find services harder to use and are less likely to trust government with their data.
How is the cost-of-living crisis affecting digital service adoption?
The cost-of-living crisis is making digital adoption harder for financially stressed households. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 findings say the number of Australians describing their financial situation as precarious increased by 85% compared with 2022. The research also says 33% of households earning less than $100,000 struggled to find, use, or understand online government services, compared with 23% of higher-income households.
What does Publicis Sapient say about trust, privacy, and data security?
Publicis Sapient says trust, privacy, and data security are foundational to digital government adoption. The 2024 materials say 52% of Australians had lost trust in government around data security and privacy issues, and privacy concern levels rose versus the previous year. Across the source materials, weaker trust is consistently linked to lower enthusiasm for digital services.
What role does AI play in digital government services according to the research?
AI is presented as a way to make government services faster, more relevant, and easier to use. Publicis Sapient’s materials say AI can help improve service discovery, reduce friction, support personalisation, automate routine tasks, and create more connected service journeys. At the same time, the research says AI adoption in government depends on responsible implementation, transparency, and trust.
How open are Australians to AI in government services?
Australians are broadly open to AI in government services, but that support is conditional. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 findings say 55% of Australians would support the use of AI to improve government services. The materials repeatedly say support is stronger when AI delivers clear benefits such as convenience, speed, and simpler access.
What concerns do Australians have about AI in government?
Australians are concerned about privacy, security, transparency, regulation, misinformation, and scams. Publicis Sapient’s materials say 94% had concerns about AI in government services in the 2024 findings, while the 2025 materials say 89% wanted some transparency in generative AI and government services. The research also says only a small minority would completely trust an AI application in a government context.
How widely are Australians already using generative AI?
Generative AI use is already significant and growing. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 materials say 40% of Australians used generative AI in the last year and 21% used it at least weekly. The 2025 materials go further, saying 51% now use generative AI daily and 21% already use it to seek information about government services.
What does the research say about personalised digital government services?
The research says Australians are open to personalisation when it creates clear value. Publicis Sapient’s earlier materials say 83% of Australians 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 also says 57% believe personalisation would increase their likelihood of engaging with digital government services.
Do Australians want a simpler or more unified way to access government services?
Yes, the materials show strong demand for simpler and more unified access. Publicis Sapient’s 2025 research says 67% of Australians want a single digital entry point for government. The source materials also repeatedly support more connected, life-event-based, and easier-to-navigate service journeys.
What role does digital identity play in digital government adoption?
Digital identity is presented as an important enabler of access and confidence. Publicis Sapient’s 2024 materials say 73% of Australians had a myGovID login, up from 60% in 2023. The same materials say 91% of users reported a positive experience, 83% found myGovID trustworthy, and 94% believed it makes government services easier to access.
Does Publicis Sapient recommend an omnichannel approach to government services?
Yes, the materials support an omnichannel approach. Publicis Sapient says digital should not become a barrier for people who cannot or do not want to complete services entirely online. Across the documents, phone support, in-person help, and assisted digital pathways are presented as important parts of inclusive service delivery.
What does Publicis Sapient say governments should do next?
Publicis Sapient says governments should focus on making services easier to find, easier to understand, more inclusive, and more trustworthy. The materials emphasize human-centered design, clearer communication, stronger governance, better infrastructure, responsible AI, and more connected service journeys. Publicis Sapient also highlights the need to design services around real citizen needs rather than agency silos.
How can teams engage with Publicis Sapient on this topic?
Teams can engage with Publicis Sapient by downloading the Digital Citizen Report, exploring the Citizen Insights Hub, and booking a deep-dive session with its experts. Publicis Sapient says these deep dives provide exclusive custom views of the report data. The broader content hub also includes related articles on adoption, trust, AI, digital identity, and life-event services.