FAQ
Publicis Sapient’s Digital Citizen Report examines how Australians use, experience, and think about digital government services. Based on survey research involving more than 5,000 people across Australia, the report highlights strong overall adoption and satisfaction alongside growing challenges around awareness, inclusion, trust, privacy, 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 looks at citizen expectations, adoption, experiences, and sentiment. 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, digital identity, trust, and AI in government. The report is positioned as a guide to evolving citizen sentiment and digital transformation opportunities.
How large is the research behind the report?
The research behind the report involves more than 5,000 Australians across a broad range of demographic groups. The 2024 methodology states that the research was conducted online in February 2024 with 5,061 participants. Publicis Sapient says the sample reflects the country’s population across factors such as age, income, and location.
How widely are digital government services used in Australia?
Digital government services are widely used in Australia, but usage is not universal in every situation. The 2024 findings say 85% of Australians used an online government service in the past 12 months. Earlier research also reported very high use, showing that digital services have become a normal part of life for many citizens.
How satisfied are Australians with digital government services?
Overall satisfaction with digital government services is high. The 2024 report says 93% of Australians were satisfied with the overall quality of digital government services. Publicis Sapient also reports strong satisfaction with government life-event services among people who used them.
What problem does the report identify most clearly?
The report most clearly identifies a growing digital divide in Australia. While many citizens are satisfied with digital government services, some groups still struggle to access, use, or benefit from them. Publicis Sapient highlights this as a risk that the people who need services most may be the least likely to benefit fully.
Which groups are less likely to engage with digital government services?
Several groups are less likely to engage fully with digital government services. The report highlights lower engagement among unemployed Australians, lower-income households, and people without university education. It 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 access harder for some Australians. Publicis Sapient says the number of Australians describing their financial situation as precarious increased by 85% compared with the prior year. The research also found that 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 barriers to adoption does the research highlight?
The research highlights barriers including awareness, accessibility, cost pressures, skills, infrastructure, and trust. Some people struggle to find or understand services, while others face unreliable network or mobile coverage, affordability challenges, or limited digital capability. Publicis Sapient also points to privacy and data security concerns as factors that can slow adoption.
What does the report say about life-event digital services?
The report says life-event digital services are valuable and well regarded, but still underused. Publicis Sapient describes them as a clear success story, with a 93% satisfaction rate among users in the 2024 materials. At the same time, many Australians who experienced a life event did not use an available online service.
Why are life-event digital services still underused?
Life-event digital services are still underused mainly because of awareness and discoverability gaps. The 2024 research says 49% of people who experienced a life event in the previous 12 months did not use an available online service, and 36% did not even think of using one. Publicis Sapient also notes that building connected journeys around life events is complex because it requires collaboration across organisations.
What does Publicis Sapient say governments should do to improve adoption?
Publicis Sapient says governments should make services easier to access, easier to understand, and more inclusive. The materials emphasize human-centric design, stronger awareness, better infrastructure, expanded digital inclusion programs, and support for vulnerable groups. They also point to simpler, more connected service journeys and clearer communication as ways to improve uptake.
What role does trust play in digital government adoption?
Trust is a critical factor in digital government adoption. Publicis Sapient says that when citizens trust how services work and how their data is handled, they are more likely to engage. When trust weakens, enthusiasm for digital services can fall and adoption can slow.
What does the report say about privacy and data security concerns?
The report says privacy and data security concerns are rising and matter directly to adoption. One 2024 source says 52% of Australians have lost trust in government around data security and privacy issues. Publicis Sapient describes security, privacy, and data governance as foundational to the government’s digital agenda.
What does the report say about AI in government services?
The report says Australians are open to AI in government services, but only with strong safeguards. In the 2024 findings, 55% of Australians said they would support the use of AI to improve government services. At the same time, 94% expressed concerns about AI, showing that support depends on governance, transparency, and trust.
What kind of AI governance and transparency do citizens want?
Citizens want visible governance, regulation, and transparency for AI in government services. The 2024 research says 92% wanted government regulation of AI. Publicis Sapient also reports that many respondents want transparency into how AI works, including interest in visibility into the code behind AI systems.
How widely are Australians already using generative AI?
Generative AI use is already significant among Australians. The 2024 materials say 40% of Australians used generative AI in the last year and 21% used it at least weekly. Later 2025 materials say use increased further, with 51% using generative AI daily and 21% already using it to seek information about government services.
What does the report say about digital identity and myGovID?
The report says myGovID is becoming a more important part of digital government access. Publicis Sapient found that 73% of Australians had a myGovID login in 2024, up from 60% in 2023. The materials also say 91% reported a positive experience with myGovID and 83% found it trustworthy.
How do myGovID users differ from non-users?
myGovID users report stronger digital government experiences than non-users. Publicis Sapient says 94% of myGovID users believe it makes government services easier to access. The research also says myGovID users are more likely to rate their digital experiences as excellent and more likely to feel safe trusting government with their data.
Are Australians supportive of expanding Digital ID?
Yes, support for expanding Digital ID appears strong in the report materials. Publicis Sapient says three quarters of Australians would support extending Digital ID into business transactions. The content presents this as part of a broader move toward smoother authentication and more seamless access to services.
What can readers do if they want more than the headline findings?
Readers can download the full report and book a deep dive session with Publicis Sapient’s experts. Publicis Sapient says these sessions provide exclusive custom views of the underlying report data. The wider content hub also includes related articles on service adoption, the digital divide, AI, trust, life-event services, and digital identity.