Let's Talk Data
Data is plentiful for government practitioners. With near-infinite website and email metrics, along with all the data that modern solutions can deliver, we have more information than ever. But what is a good number? And how do you act on the data?
Welcome to the 2019 Granicus Civic Engagement Report. Like previous years, it includes important benchmark metrics to help communicators gauge email and website success. But, for the first time ever, the report includes helpful data on civic processes, such as public meetings.
For three consecutive years, engagement with government email has increased steadily. And for both key metrics that Granicus measures: median rate (of over 10 billion government emails) and the top 20% (average of the top fifth of elite government communicators). In fact, 2019 brought a 10% growth rate for engagement compared to 2018.
Welcome
Benchmark Trends
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
2019
2018
2017
50%
60%
70%
Engagement rate is measured as the number of email recipients who open or click on a link in an email.
Engagement is rising, likely for two reasons. First, government communicators are getting better at email. They’re harnessing email data and analytics to write more powerful subject lines, send more targeted and personalized messages, and create more-effective calls to action. Second, citizens are starting to expect email communications. With email, they’re able to subscribe to government communications most relevant to them. Citizens are then highly receptive to and engaged with those messages (and future ones). The average open rate for business-to-consumer emails is 17%. Top government communicators in Granicus average double that number (34%).
INSIGHT
Insight
Engagement is rising, likely for two reasons. First, government communicators are getting better at email. They’re harnessing email data and analytics to write more powerful subject lines, send more targeted and personalized messages, and create more-effective calls to action. Second, citizens are starting to expect email communications. With email, they’re able to subscribe to government communications most relevant to them. Citizens are then highly receptive to and engaged with those messages (and future ones). The average open rate for business-to-consumer emails is 17%. Top government communicators in Granicus average double that number (34%).
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2019
2018
2017
2017
2019
2018
Top 7
What are the trends? How do you compare? Scroll down for a snapshot of success in digital civic engagement.
Email Engagement Keeps Rising
Trend 01
2019
2018
2017
Engagement Rate
Medium
Top 20%
52%
47%
45%
66%
61%
60%
Engagement rate is measured as the number of email recipients who open or click on a link in an email.
2019
25%
30%
35%
20%
15%
10%
05%
0%
%
93.8
%
78.2
%
17.9
Civic Engagement
2019 Benchmark report for
scrolL
Email engagement rates in the U.K., much like the U.S., have been increasing over the past few years. Great Britain, however, has landed all-time highs for both median and top 20% engagement rates. Their numbers are 11-12% higher than in 2018.
U.K. Engagement Hits All-Time High
Trend 02
Insight
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in 2018, was initially met by many with alarm. This data serves as proof that concerns can be, for the most part, put to rest. By removing inactive email subscribers (one of GDPRs many mandates), government email teams are getting a truer, more actionable picture of engagement levels.
Thriving engagement in the U.K. quiets GDPR concerns.
50%
66%
67%
55%
79%
68%
2019
2018
2017
Median
Top 20%
Engagement Rate
Traditional desktop computers are still the dominant access point for government websites. But they continue to lose ground to mobile devices, which have become more popular for discovering and engaging with government content.
Citizens Are Mobilizing
Trend 03
Insight
Mobile phones have become the access point for everything, including government services. In fact, 81% of Americans have a mobile phone, according to Pew Research. Limit this to citizens between the ages of 18 and 29, and the number increases to 96%. Governments that want to influence and engage the next generation of citizens should plan to make their websites mobile-friendly — with dynamic page flow, dynamic sizing, and improved clickability. Otherwise, they risk providing a lackluster experience to 42% of visitors.
View More Email Metrics
Dive further into email benchmarks in our data deep dive.
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Keep going and dive deeper into email benchmarks in our data deep dive.
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View More U.K. Email Metrics
Dive further into email benchmarks for the U.K. in our data deep dive.
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52.8%
53.7%
41.6%
40.1%
2018/19
2017/18
Desktop
Mobile
Website Traffic By Device
More citizens are accessing government websites and emails on mobile devices.
Tablet
5.6%
6.2%
45%
60%
52%
47%
66%
61%
2019
2018
2017
Median
Top 20%
Engagement Rate
View More Website Metrics
Dive further into website metrics for government in our data deep dive.
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How do citizens find content on government websites? An overwhelming majority of visits begin with their search engine of choice. Direct traffic — when a visitor types in a URL or uses a browser bookmark — accounts for just over a quarter of website visits.
Citizen Journeys Start With Search
Trend 04
Insight
A well-designed, user-friendly homepage is still a critical tool for your programs and services. Keep in mind, though, that many citizens are finding government after searching for terms like “pay water bill Olathe Kansas.” Takeaways? Spend time optimizing highly trafficked internal web pages with strategic keywords to connect citizens directly to what they need.
63%
28%
6%
Organic
Direct
Organic traffic (traffic from search engines) drives most government website visits.
Referral
Website Traffic By Source
When a typical citizen visits a government website, what are they trying to accomplish? In this comparison of top tasks sought out on city and county websites, service-related tasks are most common. Citizens want to apply for a job, pay utilities, pay property taxes, and more.
Citizens Want Digital Services
Trend 05
Insight
Whether city or county, the intent is clear: citizens are looking for digital options for service delivery. It’s why, according to a recent IDC Technology Spotlight, 45% of new technology initiatives among state and local governments are driven by digital transformation, and 58% of state and local leaders are under pressure to execute a DX strategy.
Across the country, local governments manage dozens of public meetings per month. Behind the scenes, clerks and meeting managers are preparing agendas, adding supporting documents, seeking approvals, and ensuring that every meeting runs smoothly. But, with an average of 36 public meetings per month, that requires significant effort.
Local Govs Run 36 Public Meetings Monthly
Trend 07
Insight
The 1/3 of municipalities that don’t use software specifically designed for public meeting management are spending roughly 700 hours a year managing meeting processes. Given the high volume of public meetings and votes cast, it’s clear why governments are looking for a better way. That number can be reduced to 150 hours a year or less through automation, which offers 80 – 99% in time savings for manual tasks such as preparing and sharing meeting minutes.
Many counties and municipalities rely on their local commissions, boards, and committees to advise policy and program development. This year’s data (shared for the first time in 2019) reveals an average of 44 boards, with 8 seats per board, and 41 applications per board seat vacancy.
Local Govs Manage 352 Board Seats
Trend 06
Insight
With 8 board seats, local government boards are within the range of the ideal size of an efficient team, which is between 5–12 members according to research. The application process, however, may be hiding inefficiencies. With each board vacancy drawing an average of 41 applications, there are potentially hundreds to thousands of applications to manage and process, resulting in extra work for teams filling those vacancies.
3%
Social
View More Website Metrics
Dive further into website metrics for government in our data deep dive.
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Top tasks are identified by combining what citizens searched for most frequently and where they landed on city and county websites.
Public Works & Planning
Parks & Rec
Utility Billing
Jobs
Calendar of Events
Building Permits
City Council
Online Payments
Waste & Recycling
Business License
Police
Bids & RFPs
Contact Information
Fire
Property Taxes
Courts (Circuit, Superior, District)
GIS Maps/Land Information
Jobs
Sheriff's Office
Vital Records
Online Payments
County Clerk Information
Human Services
Jail
County Board
Parks & Rec
CITY WEBSITES
COUNTY WEBSITES
Waste & Recycling
Library
City Code
Online Citizen Tasks, Ranked by Popularity
Board Averages for Cities & Counties
44
8
41
Number of Boards
Number of Seats
Number of Applicants
(Counties average 57 Boards. Cities Average 31)
per board
per board vacancy
Read the Story
How San Jose Digitized Citizen Boards, Increased Diversity of Applicants
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36
meetings per month
240
average votes recorded per meeting
700
hours spent annually managing public meetings
Meetings
Votes
Time
Average Meeting Workload
View More Digital Services Data
Dive further into digital services metrics in our data deep dive
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View More Meetings Data
Dive further into Data & Efficiency Insights on Public Meetings in our data deep dive.
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Email
Web Sources
U.K. Email
Web Devices
Digital Services
Boards
Meetings
The metrics in this report are based on annual data of the 4,200 U.S. federal, state, local and transit (SLT) organizations that use Granicus solutions. For email metrics, figures represent the median. For website and public meeting metrics, figures represent the average.
Supported public meeting data comes from Granicus research, including an analysis of over 7,500 local government websites revealing that less than half of municipalities are improving civic engagement by recording or posting public meetings online. Smaller populations (under 100,000 people) are more likely to use manual, paper-based processes for their public meetings.
Benchmark Data
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Intro
Email
U.K. Email
Web Devices
Web Sources
Digital Services
Boards
Meetings
Conclusion
Intro
Email
U.K. Email
Web Devices
Web Sources
Digital Services
Boards
Meetings
Conclusion
Property Taxes
Courts (Circuit, Superior, District)
GIS Maps/Land Information
Jobs
Sheriff's Office
Vital Records
Online Payments
County Clerk Information
Human Services
Jail
County Board
Parks & Rec
Waste & Recycling
COUNTY WEBSITES