eGovernment: 90 percent want more emphasis on administrative digitisation

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90 percent of citizens in Germany would like to see faster digitalization of administrative services. This is the result of a survey conducted by the industry association Bitkom. Around 80 percent also said that Germany could still learn a lot from other countries when it comes to the digitalization of cities and municipalities. 72 percent saw German authorities as laggards. And only 13 percent had ever applied for an administrative service digitally.

An analysis by Bitkom shows movement but also plenty of room for improvement in terms of digitalization progress: according to the analysis, 343 out of 579 administrative services are currently offered digitally. Some of them are nationwide, but some are only implemented in a single municipality. 199 of these have been implemented in more than half of Germany's cities and municipalities, and 165 are available nationwide. However, 230 services under the Online Access Act (OZG) are not yet available digitally.

The OZG, which was passed in 2017, obliges the federal, state, and local governments to offer their administrative services digitally. The overarching aim is to enable secure, fast, and user-friendly interaction between citizens, companies, and the administration. The original OZG actually envisaged that 575 service bundles relating to e-government would be made available online across the board by the end of 2022 – - a target that the federal, state, and local authorities are still a long way from achieving.

Focus services in only 10 percent of municipalities

According to Bitkom, of the 13 government services that are particularly in demand—the so-called focus services—citizens' benefits and naturalization are currently available digitally across the board. Only ten percent of local authorities actually provide all 13 services digitally.

According to the survey, 11 out of 14 common administrative services, such as renewing an ID card or registering, deregistering, and applying for a driving licence, would also be completed online rather than in person at a public authority. The main reason for going to the authorities in person was usually that the requested service was not available online or that a personal appearance was required (66 percent). A further 12 percent would have tried online first but had technical problems. Only 8 percent had decided to go in person directly because they needed advice.

However, there are services that respondents also prefer to use directly: marriages (67 percent), registrations (55 percent), and divorces (52 percent) are preferred to be carried out in person rather than online. According to Bitkom, 1,005 people in Germany aged 18 and over were surveyed, and the survey is representative.

Authorities take too long

The most frequent digital contact with a public authority is the online appointment for a personal visit to the office. 54 percent have already had contact by email, 36 percent have filled out a contact form on the website. Only 7 percent have used consultation hours via video call and chatbots. According to the survey, almost a quarter (24 percent) have never had any digital contact with public authorities.

Overall, according to Bitkom, many of those surveyed are dissatisfied with the administration. 85 percent complain that public authorities generally take too long to process a request. Although satisfaction with online applications for administrative services, for example, has risen slightly compared to the previous year, it is still only 37 percent (2024: 30 percent). However, other aspects, such as making appointments online, already achieved a satisfaction rate of 70 percent.

Federal government should have more influence

As an improvement, 82 percent would like the current processing status of an application to be visible. 71 percent favor greater data exchange between authorities so that they do not have to provide the same information over and over again. And almost two-thirds support the suggestion that contact with authorities should largely only be possible digitally to save costs and make processes more efficient.

Three-quarters would also like to see more government spending on the digitalization of administration. And just over two-thirds would like the federal government to have more influence on the digitalization of offices and authorities in the federal states and municipalities. However, only 51% believe that the current government will really succeed in significantly advancing the digitalization of administration.

(axk)