ENGAGING THE UNENGAGEDElection Tools to Empower Citizens
John Webb, User Experience ResearcherThe Impacts of Civic Technology Conference • Barcelona 2016
First, what do we mean by civic engagement?
Photo: Teri Tynes, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
First, what do we mean by civic engagement?
Photo: Teri Tynes, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
• Voting and participation in elections
• Volunteering & associational life
• Signing petitions
• Reporting public problems
• Attending public meetings
• And much more...
First, what do we mean by civic engagement?
Photo: Teri Tynes, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
• Voting and participation in elections
First, what do we mean by civic engagement?
Photo: Teri Tynes, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
How can elections drive broader civic
engagement?
US citizens aren’t satisfied with democracy
Source: Gallup
Trust in Congress is falling
Source: Gallup
We are drowning in information about
our democracy
Source: CNN
Personal Attacks
The Drama
Source: The Washington Times Source: The Huffington Post
The Horse Race
Source: FiveThirtyEight
Why is Google involved in Civic Engagement?
Source: Google Trends
Civic Information needs are substantial
Source: Google Trends
But… what should Google build and
for whom?
Foundational Research: UnderstandingInterested Bystanders
http://googlepolitics.blogspot.com/2015/06/understanding-americas-interested.html
These interviews focused on two broad questions:● What motivates Americans to do things that are civic?● How do we engage the unengaged?
IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS
Findings from the interviews drove the creation of a survey that received over 2000 responses
DIGITAL SURVEYS
Interested Bystanders make up nearly half of the population
Chapman, Krontiris, and Webb (2015), “Profile CBC: Using Conjoint Analysis for Consumer Profiles”
INTERESTED BYSTANDERSIN THE UNITED STATES
48.9%
Who are Interested Bystanders?
● They are civically aware but not civically active: “I’m not top-level, but I’m not a zero.”
● They often vote in national elections but not local: “I’m not that bad, but I’m not a dude who’s going to vote in every election.”
● They are often involved in their local community: “With church, we went to a women’s homeless shelter and we cooked food.”
● They have low expectations of their own impact: “Even if I do something, will anything actually change?”
File Pudblically Available: https://goo.gl/jQd1p0
Photo: Richard HookerPhoto: Richard Hooker
Common barriers to Civic participation for Interested Bystanders
TOO BUSY,NO TIME
DON’T KNOWWHAT TO DO
I WON’T HAVEAN IMPACT
So what have we learned?
● The biggest product opportunities do not focus on activists or the apathetic
● We are not the user (if you're reading this, you're not an Interested Bystander)
● We need to connect to people’s self-interests
Primary motivations for Civic participation
PRIOR EXPERIENCE TO
DRAW UPON
CLEAR INTERESTS AT STAKE
SEEKING EMOTIONAL
FULFILLMENT
Putting it all together: Google Civics Team Mission
To increase informed engagement in democracy among Interested Bystanders
OUR MISSION
Putting it all together: Google Civics Team Mission
To increase informed engagement in democracy among Interested Bystanders
OUR MISSION
Putting it all together: Google Civics Team Mission
To increase informed engagement in democracy among Interested Bystanders
OUR MISSION
Key election use cases
● How do I register to vote?
● Who and what is on my ballot?
● What do they stand for?
● When and where do I go to vote?
● Who won the election and how does that affect me?
Search featureswe have built
to date
Common barriers point to product opportunities
We can have an impact by:
● Reducing the activation energy required to participate / helping people understand the basics of how to participate
● Helping people learn about the candidates, process & issues
● Showing the outcomes and impact of elections
Reducing the activation energy
Voter registration Voting reminder
Personalized ballot Polling place lookup
Helping people understand how to participate
Helping people learn about the candidates & issues
Enhanced candidate info Candidate’s issue stances
Helping people learn about the candidates & issues
Candidate stances on issues
Helping people learn about campaign fundraising
Campaign finance info Campaign finance info
Data source: OpenSecrets (a project of The Center for Responsive Politics)
Showing the outcomes & impact of elections
Interactive results map District level results Real-time UK results
Showing the outcomes & impact of elections
Primary results Now cardsPrimary results notification Caucus results Now cards
Showing the outcomes & impact of elections
Democratic results showing delegate count
National primary results on Google search
State primary results on Google search
High engagement of civic content on search
Primary election resultsEnhanced candidate info Candidates issue stances
Increasing informed engagement in broader
civic life among interested bystanders
OpportunitiesAhead
• Volunteering & associational life
• Signing petitions
• Reporting public problems
• Attending public meetings
• And much more...
Civic engagement is much more than voting & elections
Photo: Teri Tynes, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
There are a lot more civic journeys to explore
HOW DO I GET
INVOLVED IN ISSUES I CARE
ABOUT?
WHAT
IMPACT DO I HAVE
BY PARTICIPATING?
HOW DO I
FOLLOW WHAT THE WINNING
CANDIDATES DO NEXT?