Assessment by the Population of the Effectiveness of Digital Communication of the Heads of Regions in the Internet Dialogue “Power ‒ Societyˮ

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the effectiveness of digital communication of the governorʼs corps with the society. This problem attracts the attention of many scholars, but there are very few works with empirical verification of the models proposed by various research authors, and there is a lack of substantiation and scientific understanding of the objective assessment of the effectiveness of digital dialog. The purpose of the study is to analyze and compare the effectiveness of digital communication of regional heads of the Central Federal District on the basis of empirical data and identify its strengths and weaknesses Materials and Methods. To assess the effectiveness of digital communication of regional heads with the population, a study was conducted, which included 2 stages. At the first stage of the research the responsiveness of the authorities to the needs of the population was assessed by means of an online survey. The second stage of the research was realized through monitoring of social networks of the heads of regions of the Central Federal District. The tasks of the second stage included the search for answers to the questions about the popularity of regional policy among the population, about the compliance of the information agenda of the regional heads with the needs articulated in the regional social media, as well as about the effectiveness of response to certain problematic situations arising on the ground. Results. One fifth of respondents addressed to the heads of regions via social networks with complaints and suggestions. About half of the respondents found it difficult to assess their satisfaction with the request sent. Almost a third of respondents expressed satisfaction with the response of the governorʼs services. Respondents assessed the work of governors with a predominance of positive assessments on the scales of openness and efficiency, as well as effectiveness. At the same time, according to the profile of citizensʼ assessments, the work of the governorʼs corps is conducted more according to its own agenda (rather than based on the problems of ordinary people), it is often performed in an ostentatious manner and with elements of imitation of activity. Discussion and Conclusion. The results obtained allow us to attribute involvement in modern online communications, the ability to establish constant and effective feedback with the population to one of the most important competencies of the governor. The analysis shows that these qualities have so far fallen out of the personal priorities of some regional leaders. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using the results of a comparative assessment of the constructiveness of online communication of governors of the regions of the Central Federal District with the population, weaknesses and potential of such a dialog.