Readability of online government information about welfare rights and benefits: the Israeli case

Abstract This study examines the readability of government information about social benefits and rights concerning citizens’ engagement. Such information is often obscured and hard to find and, therefore, sometimes less accessible to those who mostly need it. How will readability characteristics affect engagement measures as attesting to information comprehension? This article addresses this question by analyzing year-long usage data records of an Israeli national rights website. We tested readability components to determine how they perform, and whether they affect engagement measures as evidence of comprehension. Analysis using the classic Flesch-Kincaid readability formula shows that most texts on the website are suitable for the college level. Furthermore, as the information was less readable, people spent more time on the page, and there was less bounce rate. Conversely, we found a positive correlation between exit percentage and readability measures. The results raise questions about the Flesch-Kincaid formula and the engagement measures’ relevance to information about benefits and rights, and highlight the need for a Hebrew-adapted readability formula. Further research directions are suggested.