Public communication in France is undergoing reform. Through numerous organisational changes and cross-government initiatives, the Government Information Service (Service d’Information du Gouvernement or SIG) within the Prime Minister’s Office is making communication more effective and responsive to citizens’ needs and expectations.
These efforts are unfolding in the context of growing challenges to the information ecosystem, which are pressuring governments across the globe to rethink and redouble their efforts to meaningfully connect with citizens. Rebuilding trust in institutions is also a pressing concern: in 2023 just 34% of French respondents to the OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions (the OECD Trust Survey) reported high or moderately high trust in their national government.
The SIG-led initiatives described in this Scan are thus timely and necessary. The OECD Trust Survey shows a positive correlation between clear policy communication and trust in government. Yet, it also reveals that only a minority of French people feel their government clearly explains how a policy would affect them.
The SIG is therefore keen to understand how its wave of reforms – including the introduction of cohesive state branding, the expansion of cross-government campaigns, and the elevation of standards for the profession – are translating into more impactful communication. However, given gaps in the measurement and evaluation of communication by French institutions, such impact is often not captured, measured, or understood. The lack of robust evaluation also limits opportunities for institutions to learn and continuously improve.
This OECD Public Communication Scan of France thus focuses on enhancing measurement and evaluation in public communication. The recommendations that follow aim to raise standards across French government communication directorates, helping them use evaluation to enhance the effectiveness of their action. In turn, measurement and evaluation can inform the trajectory of reforms to strengthen communication’s contribution to government objectives.
Evaluating impact is a priority for the field of public communication, which has long struggled to overcome misconceptions about its value for policy and governance. Interviews with members of the OECD Public Communication Network have reaffirmed the findings of the 2021 OECD Report on Public Communication, which ranked evaluation among the three most challenging aspects of the function across 43 countries. In this respect, the analysis and recommendations in this Scan can inform efforts across the OECD and expand the international evidence on this core issue for government communication.
With budgetary constraints requiring challenging and complex trade-offs, it is important for communicators to demonstrate the value of their work and ensure its effectiveness.