| Government information is closely related to public’s life and work, and the rights to access to government information are protected under the law. Today, the IT and the Internet are developing rapidly and there are more and more ways for the public to access to government information. But we are still faced with many problems to recognize and solve. This paper researches on the access to and utilization of government information for the public, aiming to recognize the basic situation of the urban residents and farmers’ access to and use of Government information, their awareness and satisfaction of government information opening, their awareness and demand of government information resources redevelopment and utilization. Main problems in access to information, advices for the government and solutions to the problems are also studied in this paper. The main content of this article is as follows:Firstly, this paper presents the results of the research in the order of urban residents and then the farmers, and reveals the behavior, views and attitudes of public access to government information and compares the similarities and differences between the two. Then this paper investigates on libraries, archives, administrative service centers to know the status of government information providers.Secondly, this paper discusses the hot topics presented in the results, including the access to and use of government information from the public and government information service’s view and key factors affecting public access to government information. The research findings are that the public takes mass media as the main channel of access to government information and they are most concerned with the information about livelihood and current news and have a large demand for government information redevelopment, but they don’t know much about the government information opening or the Regulations on the Disclosure of Government Information. The public is not satisfied with the Disclosure of Government Information. Disclosure of Government information is not comprehensive and the government information services in the public libraries, the national archives are also in the need of improving. Digital divide issues are hindering farmers’access to and use of Government information.Finally, this paper gives recommendations for improving public access to and use of government information according to the findings. Firstly, the government should establish effective mechanisms for protecting government information opening and improve related laws and regulations. Secondly, the government should promote the government information opening and the Regulations on the Disclosure of Government Information and improve the public understanding and awareness of government information opening. Thirdly, the government should publish government information through multiple channels and make it easier for the public to access and use. Fourthly, the government should redevelop the government information resources and make full use of the government information. Fifthly, the government should accelerate the rural Internet and informatization construction, bridging the digital divide between urban and rural areas. Then this paper points out the limitations of this study. |
