Studies

eGovernment MONITOR 2023

The eGovernment MONITOR 2023 survey, published on 13 October 2023 by Initiative D21 and the Technical University of Munich, uses a representative survey of the online populations in Germany (DE), Austria (AT) and Switzerland (CH) to look into the (mobile) usage and acceptance of digital government services. The 12th edition focuses on the need for, barriers to the use of and trust in digital government services and the state.

First of all, most Swiss citizens are still very satisfied with the digital government services offered and believe in the benefits of digital administration. This has a positive effect on trust in the state and its efficiency. The eGovernment MONITOR is an instrument for the public administration to identify the requisite need for action and to derive targeted measures.

Key findings of the survey

The use of online public services remains stable at a high level: 60% (-1) of respondents in Switzerland have used an online government service in the last 12 months. With regard to this indicator, Switzerland lies between Austria 70% (-2) and Germany 56% (+4). 92% of respondents who used a digital government service would like to use the online service again (AT: 95% and D: 94%). 72% of respondents who used a service in analogue format are interested in using the online channel the next time (AT: 67% and D: 69%).

Mobile use is rising significantly in all countries: 53% (+7) of citizens in Switzerland use mobile devices to access digital government services (AT: 56% and D: 54%). Generation Y has the highest usage at 68%.

The government services most frequently used online are: ordering an extract from the register of convictions (86%), completing a tax return (80%), ordering an extract from the debt collection register (79%) and reporting problems (73%).

The usage gap is narrowing: 43% (-3) of respondents who needed a government service accessed this entirely offline. Reasons for this included, in particular, deliberately choosing the offline solution (habit), lack of awareness and findability. Half of the respondents still prefer personal contact.

Almost 60% of respondents in Switzerland consider themselves in a position to use online services (AT 70% and D: 66%): however, 40% of citizens still describe themselves as not digitally savvy. Digital services must be user-centric and accessible to all citizens.

Satisfaction with digital government services is highest in Switzerland at 78% (AT 75% and D 58%): in all three countries, about 7 out of 10 people see an advantage compared to the non-digital solution.

Trust in digital technologies is much higher in Switzerland (61%) than in D (35%) and AT (34%): the federal system and the population's high level of civic engagement probably have a positive impact on trust in the state and its efficiency.

Published by: Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Initiative D21; conducted by Kantar

EU's 2023 eGovernment Benchmark report 

On 27 September 2023, the European Commission published the eGovernment Benchmark 2023 report. The report examines the availability and the state of development of eGovernment services in line with the EU's strategic objectives, and compares how administrations across Europe deliver digital public services. How does Switzerland compare?

Switzerland has improved in all indicators, especially in terms of transparency, for example when it comes to online notifications when a stage in a procedure has been successfully completed. Switzerland has reached or surpassed the European average in the indicators relating to user centricity and cross-border mobility for the population. It has made particular improvements in the diversity of services: 78% of all government services can currently be used online, versus 63% in 2022. It is worth noting that 97% (EU: 93%) of all government websites are adapted for mobile devices, and 84% (EU: 91%) offer feedback functions and online support. Although Swiss administrations are steadily expanding their services, Switzerland ranks 29th out of 35 in the report's overall evaluation (total score 58), far behind leading countries such as Malta (96) and Estonia (92), and also below the European average (70). Neighbouring Austria (14th) and Germany (20th) are ranked higher than Switzerland.

National eGovernment Study 

The National eGovernment Study published on 10 May 2022 confirms the trend: the demand for electronic public services is greater than the supply available from the public authorities. As part of the study, the Swiss population, Swiss businesses and the public services were asked about the use and implementation of e-services. 

Published by: Digital Public Services Switzerland and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) 

Global Innovation Index 2022

On 27 September, Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) jointly published the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023. The study shows which countries are leading in global innovation by examining the global innovation trends of 132 economies worldwide. The 16th edition of the GII measures innovation on the basis of 80 criteria such as institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, investment, adaptation, knowledge diffusion and creative outputs. Switzerland is the world's most innovative economy for the 13th year in a row. It ranks first in the GII, followed by Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore. Germany achieves 8th place, as it did last year.

The study is compiled on the basis of a country's "innovation inputs" and "innovation outputs". Innovation inputs include a country's human capital, research, infrastructure, and market and business sophistication. Innovation outputs include knowledge and technology, as well as creativity. As in the previous year, Switzerland ranks third in terms of innovation inputs and first in innovation outputs. Switzerland's greatest strengths include the number of country-specific top-level domains, the business environment, the number of patents and patent families, global brand value, and the use of new technologies and technical know-how. As in the previous year, its weaknesses include direct foreign investment, high-tech imports and labour productivity growth.

Published by: Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

eGovernment Survey 2022

The eGovernment Survey 2022, published by the United Nations (UN), examines global and regional e-government development in 193 member states through a comparative assessment of national government portals. The study is published every two years and creates a ranking in the area of digital administration (e-government Development Index EDGI). This consists of the weighted average of three sub-components: the Online Service Index (OSI), the Telecommunications Infrastructure Index (TII) and the Human Capital Index (HI). The survey also includes the E-Participation Index (EPI), which focuses on the use of online services through "electronic information exchange," "electronic consultation," and "electronic decision making." The topic of the 12^th edition of the survey is "The Future of Digital Government." The 2022 survey is the first edition that includes the e-government status of the most populous city in each case.

In the latest study Switzerland ranks 41^st in the EPI (2020: 18^th; 2018: 41^st) and 23^rd in the EDGI (2020: 16^th; 2018: 15^th).

Published by: United Nations (UN)