The results of the survey also show that older generations are more likely than younger people to be aware of their FOI rights:
- 81% of those aged over 65 said they were aware of their rights, but this dropped to just over half (53%) for those under 35
- 47% of those under 35 said they were "not very" or "not at all" aware of their FOI rights
Most of those surveyed generally understood the benefits of FOI:
- Over half (59%) agreed that FOI helps people to be informed about public bodies' decision-making
- Almost two thirds (62%) agreed that FOI helps to uncover bad practice
- Just under half (45%) agreed that FOI holds public bodies to account for their spending decisions
The survey also revealed a lack of trust in authorities' ability to respond to requests:
- Only 57% were “very” or “fairly” confident they would receive a response from a request to information from a public body
- 38% were “not very” or “not at all” confident they would receive a response
Public bodies have a legal duty to respond to requests within 20 working days.
Survey respondents generally agreed that it was "extremely" or "very" important for public bodies to publish information about:
- How they spent their money (85%)
- The reasons for the decisions they make (80%)
- Information on the contracts they have with other organisations (74%)
- Information on how they deliver their functions and services (79%)
Finally, 80% of survey respondents agreed that private sector companies who work on contracts for public bodies should be subject to the same FOI laws as public bodies.