Skip to content.
|Networking government in New Zealand.
You are here: Home » Resources » Research » Kiwis & Government Online Survey (2008) » Appendix B: Questionnaire

Appendix B: Questionnaire

The online questionnaire below was administered by Buzz Channel to its online panel. The specific set of questions that a respondent was asked varied according to their individual answers. All respondents were shown the Introduction and asked Q1 to Q5.

  • Those who answered "No" to Q5 were asked Q6 and then Q29 to Q36.
  • Those who answered "Yes" to Q5 were asked Q7 and Q8. Responses to Q8 were in three categories - information, transact, and participation. Respondents who selected one or more responses related to a particular category were then asked questions specific to the category or categories they selected, and then Q29 to Q36:
  • Information: Q9 to Q15
  • Transact: Q16 to Q27
  • Participation: Q28


Online questionnaire

Introduction

We are doing this research for a government agency interested in your opinions of government's online services.

By government's online services we mean using the Internet to get information from a government website, or doing a transaction on a government website, or providing your views about an issue online on a government website.

This research is not about your opinion of politicians, or the services provided by your local council. It's about public services provided online by government departments (central government agencies).

Regards
The Buzz Team

Q1. Before we start, which of these age groups are you in?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Under 18 years
Q40 - Main Branch
2. 18-24 years
3. 25-34 years
4. 35-44 years
5. 45-54 years
6. 55-64 years
7. 65 and older

Q2. And your gender please.
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Male
2. Female

Q3. Which part of the country you currently live in? Please tick the nearest city to you.
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Whangarei
2. Auckland
3. Hamilton
4. Tauranga
5. Rotorua
6. Gisborne
7. Napier-Hastings
8. New Plymouth
9. Wanganui
10. Palmerston North
11. Kapiti
12. Wellington
13. Nelson
14. Christchurch
15. Dunedin
16. Invercargill

Q4. Examples of government's online services include:

  • using the Internet to find out information about benefits
  • searching archives
  • downloading a passport application form
  • paying for your car registration
  • filing your income tax return
  • making a booking for a Department of Conservation hut
  • using a savings calculator at Sorted
  • downloading a podcast from Radio NZ
  • providing your views to a public consultation online

[Note: this is only for information and no responses were asked.]

Q5. In the last 12 months, have you used a government online service?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Yes
Q7 - Main Branch
2. No
Q6 - Main Branch

Q6. Which one of these best describes the reason why you haven't used a government online service in the last 12 months?
Multiple Selection (Checkboxes)
1. I haven't needed information or a service from government
2. I prefer to phone or visit government offices
3. I used an agent or intermediary (e.g. Citizens Advice Bureau, an accountant, or family members)
4. I 't like using the Internet to get information or services from government
5. The information or service I wanted wasn't available online, or I couldn't find it online
6. I had to personally show a document or send in a copy to the government agency
7. Other, please detail
Jumps to: Q29

Q7. Over the past 12 months, has your use of government's online services:
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Decreased a lot
2. Decreased somewhat
3. Remained the same
4. Increased somewhat
5. Increased a lot

Q8. What types of online services have you used in the last 12 months from a government website?
Multiple Selection (Checkboxes)
1. Find out information
Q9 - Main Branch
2. Subscribe to a news or updates feed (e.g. a RSS or Atom feed)
Q9 - Main Branch
3. Download a podcast or watch a video online
Q9 - Main Branch
4. Sign up to get newsletters by email
Q9 - Main Branch
5. Use online tools, calculators or download an application form
Q16 - Main Branch
6. Pay for something
Q16 - Main Branch
7. Apply for something
Q16 - Main Branch
8. Make a booking
Q16 - Main Branch
9. Make a complaint
Q16 - Main Branch
10. Submit information or a return
Q16 - Main Branch
11. Register for personalised online services
Q16 - Main Branch
12. Provide your views online to a public consultation
Q28 - Main Branch
13. Read, comment, or contribute to a government blog or wiki or online discussion forum
Q28 - Main Branch
14. Other (Please Specify)
Q29 - Main Branch

Q9. When you're getting information online from a government agency, please rate the importance of each of the following:
n Point Scale Matrix
Question Options
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
Possible Answers
1. The information is current and up-to-date
2. The information is easy to find
3. The information is personalised to my needs
4. The web page loads quickly
5. The website looks nice
6. Other information that may be of interest to me is automatically presented
7. The information is in plain English
8. I can easily find out how to phone a customer support person if I need to
9. I can easily print the information
10. The website meets relevant technical and accessibility standards (e.g. access by people with a visual impairment)

Q10. Of all the things you thought were "very important" (listed below), which of these are the three most important things when you're getting information online from a government agency?
Multiple Selection (Checkboxes)
1. The information is current and up-to-date
2. The information is easy to find
3. The information is personalised to my needs
4. The web page loads quickly
5. The website looks nice
6. Other information that may be of interest to me is automatically presented
7. The information is in plain English
8. I can easily find out how to phone a customer support person if I need to
9. I can easily print the information
10. The website meets relevant technical and accessibility standards (e.g. access by people with a visual impairment)

Q11. Overall, how satisfied are you with getting information online from government agencies?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Very dissatisfied
2. Somewhat dissatisfied
3. Neutral
4. Somewhat satisfied
5. Very satisfied

Q12. Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement for getting information online from government agencies:
n Point Scale Matrix
Question Options
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
Possible Answers
1. It is easy to get information online
2. The information meets my needs
3. I have confidence in the information provided
4. I can easily find or search for additional information
5. The information online is consistent with the information I get when speaking to a person face-to-face or over the phone
6. Getting information online saves me money
7. It is easy for me to use the information to get a service online if I need to
8. I have all the skills and understanding necessary to access government information online
9. My expectations of getting information online from government agencies are fully met
10. It is an example of good value for tax dollars spent

Q13. Have you heard of or visited the New Zealand Government's website www.newzealand.govt.nz over the past 12 months?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Yes
2. No
 
Q14. What do you do when you want to find specific government information online?
Multiple Selection (Checkboxes)
1. Use a search website or tool like Google
2. Use a government search website or tool like www.newzealand.govt.nz or www.business.govt.nz
3. Guess which agency provides the information and go to its website
4. Ask a friend or someone else for help
5. If I don' know where to find the information, I won't try to look for it
6. Don't know / never done this
7. Other, please detail
 
Q15. Do you think government information should only be available from government websites or from a variety of government and non-government websites?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Available only from official government websites
2. Available from both government and non-government websites
3. Doesn't matter
4. Don't know
 
Q16. Next, we'd like to get your opinions about using the Internet to transact with government agencies online.
Transact means to do things like:

  • paying or applying for something
  • making a booking
  • registering for personalised online services
  • looking at your account information or personal information online.


When you're transacting online with a government agency, please rate the importance of each of the following:
n Point Scale Matrix
Question Options
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
Possible Answers
1. The transaction service is easy to find
2. The transaction service is personalised to my needs
3. Other transaction services that may be of interest to me are automatically presented
4. The transaction service uses plain English
5. I can easily find out how to phone a customer support person if I need to
6. I can easily follow up or refer to my transaction later
7. The transaction is wholly online (e.g. I don't have to print off an online form and mail it in)
8. My privacy is protected
9. Registering for the transaction service, if required, is easy and fast
10. I have the same level of trust online as I would have if I was transacting with the help of a 'real' person

Q17. Of all the things you thought were "very important" (listed below), which of these are the three most important things when you're transacting online with a government agency?
Multiple Selection (Checkboxes)
1. The transaction service is easy to find
2. The transaction service is personalised to my needs
3. Other transaction services that may be of interest to me are automatically presented
4. The transaction service uses plain English
5. I can easily find out how to phone a customer support person if I need to
6. I can easily follow up or refer to my transaction later
7. The transaction is wholly online (e.g. I don't have to print off an online form and mail it in)
8. My privacy is protected
9. Registering for the transaction service, if required, is easy and fast
10. I have the same level of trust online as I would have if I was transacting with the help of a 'rea' person
 
Q18. Overall, how satisfied are you with transacting online with government agencies?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Very dissatisfied
2. Somewhat dissatisfied
3. Neutral
4. Somewhat satisfied
5. Very satisfied
 
Q19. Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following for transacting online with government agencies:
n Point Scale Matrix
Question Options
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
Possible Answers
1. It is easy to transact online
2. I know what transaction services are available online
3. I can easily find or search for the specific transaction service I want
4. Transacting online gets me the same or better results than transacting in-person or on the phone
5. Transacting online saves me money
6. Good customer support is available
7. My privacy is protected
8. My expectations are fully met
9. Transacting online is an example of good value for tax dollars spent
 
Q20. Has there been a time when you've had to contact more than one government agency for a single need - such as managing your student loan, starting a business or having a baby?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Yes
Q21 - Main Branch
2. No
Q22 - Main Branch

Q21. To what extent were you able to interact with these agencies from a single online point (such as a website or portal)?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Not at all, I had to interact with each agency individually
2. Somewhat - in some cases I could interact with more than one agency while at other times I had to deal with each agency individually
3. Completely - I can interact with all the relevant agencies from a single online point (such as a website or portal)

Q22. Suppose you could set up a single, personalised view of your transactions with government. Would you be interested?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. No thanks
Q24 - Main Branch
2. Yes, I am
Q23 - Main Branch

Q23. Please select all the options you would be interested in having for your single personalised view of your interactions with government agencies.
Multiple Selection (Checkboxes)
1. Ask for help or advice
2. Get government news on topics or geographical areas that I choose
3. Find and access all of government's online services
4. Update government agencies with changes in my circumstances
5. Find or subscribe to feeds (A "feed" is a way of subscribing to frequently updated content, such as changes to a particular website page, news or data)
6. Apply for government jobs
7. Send messages to and receive messages from agencies securely
8. Be able to make a complaint
9. Create mashups using government data (A "mashup" combines data from more than one source, such as traffic accidents and Google Maps)
10. Other (Please Specify)
 
Q24. Has there been a time when you have dealt with a government agency online, and then had to follow up by phone by letter, in-person or email?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Yes
Q25 - Main Branch
2. No
Q26 - Main Branch

Q25. How easy or hard was it to follow up?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Really easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Neither easy nor hard
4. Somewhat hard
5. Really hard
6. Not applicable/don't know

Q26. People have different reasons for updating their information with government agencies, such as moving house, getting married or changing your email address.
Think about a time when you have needed to update your information with a number of government agencies. Were you able to give the information only once?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Not at all - I have to give the same information to each agency individually, again and again
2. Somewhat - in some cases I have to give the information only once and in others to each agency individually
3. Completely - I only have to give the information once
4. Not applicable - I've never had to give the same information to more than one government agency

Q27. Considering your own experiences and expectations, how satisfied are you overall with government's online services?
n Point Scale
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5

Q28. Overall, how satisfied are you with providing your views or feedback online to government agencies?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Very dissatisfied
2. Somewhat dissatisfied
3. Neutral
4. Somewhat satisfied
5. Very satisfied

Q29. We'd like to know how you prefer dealing with government agencies for different purposes. For each of the categories below, please select the one method you most prefer:
Matrix (Radio Buttons)
1. In-person
2. Letter
3. Phone
4. SMS (text)
5. Email
6. Online
7. Other/None

Possible Answers
1. Getting information
2. Transacting (e.g. applying or paying for something)
3. Providing your views or comments

Q30. If a government agency wants to get in touch with you with some routine personal information, how would you prefer they do this? (assuming they have all your current contact details):
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Letter
2. Phone
3. SMS (text)
4. Email
5. Online (e.g. showing you a personalised message when you sign in)
6. Don't know

Q31. Do you have any comments or suggestions for government agencies about ways to encourage people to get information, transact, or provide their views online?
Large Text Area

Q32. Are there any particular services from government agencies that you want available online?
Large Text Area

Q33. Before we end, we'd also appreciate answers to a few questions about you, so we can ensure our research takes in the views of a cross-section of New Zealanders.
What type of Internet connection do you usually use?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Broadband
2. Dial-up
3. Mobile phone
4. Other

Q34. Which ethnic group or groups do you belong to?
Multiple Selection (Checkboxes)
1. New Zealand European
2. Maori
3. Samoan
4. Cook Island Maori
5. Tongan
6. Niuean
7. Chinese
8. Indian
9. Other

Q35. Where do you usually live for most of the year?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. A large city (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin)
2. A city not listed above
3. A town
4. A rural area
5. Other

Q36. Last question: what's your total yearly income (before tax)?
Single Selection (Radio Buttons)
1. Less than $15,000
2. $15,000 - $40,000
3. $40,001 - $70,000
4. $70,001 - $100,000
5. More than $100,000

[ Next ]