Samenvatting

On behalf of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Taalunie, the University of Utrecht and the Arnhem-Nijmegen University of Applied Sciences have jointly measured the comprehensibility of government texts. The unique aspect of this study is the combination of three methods: automatic text analysis (LiNT), check interviews (conducted by government communication professionals), and reader surveys (involving readers with different backgrounds and reading abilities). The study provides insight into comprehensibility, applicability and perception of government texts. Over 70 government organizations submitted texts about payment or healthcare that citizens encounter, either on paper or online, during their interactions with the government. The study shows that at least 30 percent of the Dutch population has difficulty understanding and applying the information in the majority of the texts. Unexpected information or an inappropriate tone of voice often led to a negative perception. Here, we show that the combination of research methods is methodologically effective, due to their complementary nature and practical applicability.