Om Shah
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Debra Horner
Co-Presenter: ,
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy / Public Policy
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Oral5
Session: Session 1 – 10am – 10:50am
Room: Breakout room 2
Authors: Om Shah, Debra Horner
Presenter: 5
Abstract
The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is an ongoing census survey program targeting all local government units – counties, townships, cities, and villages – in Michigan. While individual survey waves have focused on a wide variety of topics over the past 13 years, this report will address one specific topic from the Spring 2021 wave: Michigan local governments’ online presence. As the internet and complementary technologies have grown in popularity, governments have slowly adopted online presence into their daily operations, yet local government units generally face unique hurdles in establishing their online presence. To help understand more about local governments’ experiences with establishing and maintaining a presence online, responses to the Spring 2021 MPPS are examined both holistically and in breakdowns by jurisdiction population, urban-rural self-classification, and type (county, township, city, or village). Key findings from the survey include: 1) Larger and more urban jurisdictions generally have a more significant online presence than smaller and more rural jurisdictions; 2) Smaller jurisdictions are often significantly less satisfied with their online presence than their larger counterparts; 3) When asked to rate the challenges facing their jurisdiction’s online presence, officials ranked “lack of broadband/high-speed internet†as the biggest challenge, and officials from rural jurisdictions were far more likely to describe this issue as significant; 4) Larger and more urban jurisdictions have utilized remote meetings significantly more than smaller and more rural jurisdictions. Overall, the results of the analysis suggest that jurisdictions with small populations and jurisdictions in rural areas are facing greater hurdles in establishing an online presence compared to other jurisdictions. State-level policymakers should take these findings into account when examining the specific needs of local governments.
Social Sciences
