Nearly half the public would like MPs and parliament to provide more online services, according to a new survey.

Developing email services and providing more websites were among the key priorities identified in an opinion poll.

Among the other findings of an Economic and Social Research Council study were that current affairs websites are more popular than other politics-related websites such as government departments.

Some 40 per cent of internet users visit news and current affairs websites, compared with 28 per cent who accessed local council information, and 21 per cent who go online to government departments and agencies.

Just five per cent of internet users have visited the House of Commons website in the last 12 months.

And a total of three per cent of users had visited the websites of the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly.

At the bottom end of the league table, the survey also found that just two per cent of regular internet users have visited the websites of their own MPs.

A similar proportion of the public had accessed the Number 10 website, however.

Unknown MPs

While a low proportion of people may have visited the website of their Westminster representative, the researchers found that 22 per cent of all respondents claim to know whether their local MP has a website.

That was a significant number of people given that only 69 per cent claim to know the party of their MP, while only 43 per cent are able to name their MP.

"In absolute terms, there are still four in five Britons who do not know about MPs' websites," said the study.

"The result is, however, surprisingly high when one considers the overall low recognition rating of MPs, internet access levels (around 55 per cent) and the lack of effort most MPs put into pursuing and publicising an online presence.

"Citizens' predictions tend to be relatively accurate, as 69 per cent of respondents gives a correct answer with respect to the actual existence of a site for their MP.

"If anything, citizens underestimate the extent to which MPs are online: 14 per cent generously credit their MPs with a site when they don't have one, but 78 per cent of those who think that their MP is not online are in fact wrong, suggesting that MPs still need to do considerable work on the marketing of their websites."

Online services

According to the NOP survey for academics at the Oxford Internet Institute, Salford University and the Australian National University, some 44 per cent of the public would like all MPs to publish their email addresses.

Similarly, 42 per cent would like all MPs to have websites.

And some 43 per cent said they would like to be able to comment via email on the key laws being discussed in parliament.

While there have been trials in allowing online debate on business in parliament, such a scheme has yet to be developed on a permanent basis.

"The findings show there is potential to attract and deepen engagement, particularly among younger people," said Dr Stephen Ward of the Oxford Internet Institute.

Though in a minority, a large section of the public would like to technology used to provide more interaction between themselves and politicians.

Thirty four per cent would back online polling on policy issues and 29 per cent would like to see discussion forums on government issues.

In addition, 27 per cent said they would be interested in receiving regular government email bulletins on policies that interest them.

Minority interest

The survey also revealed that, as in the offline world, politics is an interest for a minority of the public.

For those who do want to contact their MP, the telephone is still by far the favourite method, preferred by 39 per cent in the survey.

Letter writing comes a distant second at 20 per cent, followed by email for 12 per cent.

For 18 to 34-year-olds, however, the study identified a "swing to email" as the preferred initial means of contacting a politician.

"Our survey provides a sobering antidote to the hype that often surrounds the role of the internet in the political world, but we shouldn't write off new technologies as being of no consequence," said Dr Ward.

"Simply adding new electronic means of communication to old structures, or providing information online, will not automatically spark interest.

"Publicising and marketing online initiatives might be a start, but politicians and institutions need to actively attract people outside the usual suspects by demonstrating that their contribution is valued and listened to.

"Without that, the danger remains that e-politics will simply exacerbate the current situation by amplifying those voices already prominent in the parliamentary system."