Governments are striving to use digital technology to improve policymaking, interact better with citizens, increase capacity and efficiency and, ultimately, achieve better outcomes.
But this can only succeed if public sector agencies truly understand what citizens are looking for, so they can engage with them to meet their needs and win their trust.
Which is why, in 2021, EY embarked upon a multiyear global research program — Connected Citizens — to understand how people feel about the technological advances shaping their lives.
Together with leading market research agency Ipsos, EY teams surveyed 19,000 people across 19 countries, representing all segments of society. The study looked at how citizens access and use technology, their attitudes toward data privacy and sharing, their views on public services, and their expectations for a future digital relationship with government.
A key output of the research was a unique segmentation model identifying seven citizen personas representing demographic and psychographic groups. Each holds different lessons for how governments can better engage with citizens:
- Diligent Strivers: young, urban-dwelling self-improvers keen to get on in life
- Capable Achievers: pragmatic embracers of digital innovation
- Aspirational Technophiles: well-educated digital natives excited by technology
- Privacy Defenders: cautious about sharing their data
- Tech Skeptics: older, lower-income earners who struggle to see the benefits of technology
- Struggling Providers: lower-paid workers who lack the skills or means to access digital services
- Passive Outsiders: detached from the connected world and reluctant to embrace change
Forming a vision of the ideal digital experience
The next stage of research seeks out people’s views based on lived experience.
Through deliberative workshops run by Ipsos in Australia, Brazil, India, the UK and the US in 2022 and 2023, citizens talked at length about the digital divide, digital IDs, the importance of proactive public services, the dangers of AI and 5G, and their vision of the ideal digital experience. Participants were recruited to reflect the seven personas, as well as a spread of demographic and income factors.
Citizens remain enthusiastic about the potential of digital government. But our conversations highlighted several concerns:
Continued inequality of access
Digital innovation keeps gathering speed. Older people, and those with lower income or education levels, are among those most likely to be unable or unwilling to keep up. “I don’t think we’re ever going to be able to stop this move to digital,” said an Australian participant in our research who represents the Tech Skeptic persona. “It’s just I’m worried about my father, what he’s going to do to try and keep up … how do you try and teach someone who can’t be taught?”
Data privacy and security concerns
Faced with high-profile stories about data leaks and cybercrime, and governments’ patchy record of public technology projects, people are anxious about the security of their personal and financial data. Some are also worried that handing over sensitive personal data will give government too much control over their lives. While some believe single digital IDs can help prevent fraud, others fear it might make them even more vulnerable, with too much information held in one place and risk involved when it is shared between public organizations.
Discussing digital IDs in one of our UK sessions, a participant from the Privacy Defender segment said: “It seems very one-sided. I can see the benefits to a government body and private industry having all this information … I can see benefits for them to sell us stuff, make us do things or control us in some way. The benefits to us, as individuals, are unclear.”
Keeping AI on a leash
As the use of AI accelerates, the citizens taking part in the research recognize its benefits — such as fast, accurate decision-making and more proactive service delivery. “It’s the new industrial revolution, and it’s probably best that our governments get footing now rather than being left behind,” said an Aspirational Technophile during our Australia workshop. “Hopefully [they] can take advantage of human intelligence at the moment to make sure that this is all done well.”
Others feel that AI usage could spiral out of control, bringing unintended consequences. In the same session, a Privacy Defender said: “We’ve had lots of issues where there’s racial profiling with biometrics. I don’t think that’s a problem with AI; I think that’s a problem with our sophistication and our understanding of ourselves and the way we learn, which we need to master before it should be implemented into systems that can control our lives.”
Governments are taking AI’s development extremely seriously, with discussions about regulation and international standards taking place at the recent G7 meeting, and the European Union developing an AI act to govern use of the technology.
Mixed emotions over the power of technology
Citizens clearly envision a digital future and don’t want to get left behind. Yet they want to adapt at their own pace, rather than being forced to use digital services imposed on them by government. Even an Aspirational Technophile from our US sessions sees problems ahead: “There are a lot who will not use this … they don’t want to be forced into doing something.”
People acknowledge the benefits of investing in new technologies. Yet they also point out that this is no substitute for good quality, well-resourced underlying services: “It’s no use having a Ferrari with the engine of an old Beetle. You would have to solve the whole problem of the public health system, and then implement the digital app,” said a participant in our Brazil research.
Actions for governments
Despite these concerns, taken as a whole, the Connected Citizens research indicates that citizens are ready to embrace digital technologies and data. Expectations are high, with hopes for a faster, more convenient customer experience, and positive societal outcomes.
They also want consensual use of data allied with secure, confidential use of personal information — and accountability, should anything go wrong. Agency is important. People want to be in control, with an option to choose between online and offline channels.
EY teams have identified a series of priority actions for governments to meet these goals. Here are some of them:
1. Integrate service delivery
Governments can break down institutional barriers to collaboration and build joined-up services centered around individuals’ needs. This requires a shared vision for whole-of-government transformation, with jointly agreed goals, incentives to work together more closely — such as shared funding and targets — and a governance structure that promotes accountability for outcomes.
2. Eliminate siloed IT
Like most large organizations, governments have disparate systems, which need to be brought together to create a common platform for linking data. Different government agencies should be able to access all the data, regardless of which of them “owns” it. Breaking down legal and cultural barriers, and upgrading systems to improve interoperability, calls for strong political will and leadership, as well as funding support, along with data sharing agreements augmented by unique digital IDs to authenticate citizens.
3. Design services around the end user
Rather than organizing around their own internal structures, governments should encourage public agencies to look outward to citizens and their needs. Human-centered design places citizens at the center of service development and delivery, constructing services around individuals’ life events and personal circumstances. Technologies such as AI, automation and data analytics can track the needs of individuals and the wider population to ensure that services are matched to these needs. Intuitive self-service channels, equipped with full access to citizens’ histories across different services, can help deliver a seamless experience.
4. Build confidence in sharing data
To address public concerns, governments can promote the benefits of data sharing while demonstrating the highest standards of security and privacy, along with responsible and ethical use of personal information — such as multifactor authentication. Governments and agencies should enforce governance and standards, with a consistent national regulatory framework and a central regulatory agency.
5. Foster strong digital leadership and skills
Government workforces need the right leadership, skills and resources to deliver a 21st century customer experience. This requires a new breed of committed digital leaders who understand the potential of technology and data — and are not afraid to challenge the status quo. They should champion experimentation and bring it to scale, helping their teams to adopt new technology that makes their jobs easier and improves citizens’ lives. Training and upskilling will be essential to help them master digital tools and cultivate softer skills such as empathy and creative thinking. This should, in turn, attract leaders and other talent into public sector roles.
6. Deliver equitable digitalized services for all
To make sure no population group is left behind, multichannel services should be maintained while work is done to close the digital divide. This means addressing lack of digital access and affordability, and tackling low levels of digital literacy and motivation. Investment in high-speed digital infrastructure is a must, with wider access to free public Wi-Fi, subsidized broadband, affordable digital devices, and support and training to improve digital literacy and skills.
Explore our research in more detail:
This publication contains information in summary form and is therefore intended for general guidance only. It is not intended to be a substitute for detailed research or the exercise of professional judgment. Member firms of the global EY organization cannot accept responsibility for loss to any person relying on this article.
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