Citizen behavior in a multi-channel environment

Governments have a variety of channels at their disposal to interact with their citizens. Having realized that the electronic service channels are not successful for all citizen-government interactions, governments are now searching for the ideal mix of channels to serve their clients. In order to be successful, knowledge is needed on citizen behavior. First, to be able to fulfill citizens’ needs and second, to be able to influence citizens to use the preferred channels, i.e. the cheapest channels. However, citizens’ channel behavior is complex, consisting of multiple stages and differentiating largely between different groups of citizens. This research aims at increasing the knowledge on citizens’ channel behavior and the possibilities to influence this behavior.