e-Democracy — Local Authority Experience

e-Democracy is a relatively new undertaking for many councils according to research carried out by the MORI Social Research Institute on behalf of the Local e-Democracy National Project. Only one in five (19%) so far have a written e-democracy strategy in place, although a further third (36%) do have plans to draw up a strategy. Whilst there is a great deal of interest in harnessing the potential of technology, there is a wide divergence amongst local authorities in terms of current practice and the level of investment in e-democracy. There is also a significant gap between what is available offline and what has been made available online.

This research is complemented by a literature review carried out by MORI Market Dynamics which explores the extensive body of e-Democracy knowledge now emerging in this country and abroad. The literature report shows that e-Democracy is helping to reinvigorate public interest and engagement where local councils have piloted e-democracy tools. There are particular examples of work amongst young people and other so-called 'hard-to-reach' groups.

To download copies of the full reports, and to find out more about the Local e-Democracy National Project, please visit www.e-democracy.gov.uk

Technical details

Results are based on 178 questionnaires completed online with consultation leads (or e-champions if not available) in English local authorities. Fieldwork was conducted by the MORI Social Research Institute between 7 September and 7 October 2004. Emails were sent to all 388 English local authorities with only one reply allowed per authority. The response rate is 46%. Data are unweighted.