Studies

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) 

eGovernment MONITOR 2022

The eGovernment Monitor 2021 survey, carried out by Kantar and published by Initiative D21 and the Technical University of Munich, uses a representative survey of the online populations in Germany (DE), Austria (AT) and Switzerland to look into the usage and acceptance of digital government services. In the 11th edition, the usage of, need for and satisfaction with concrete online services are measured for the first time. This latest survey also focuses on trust in the state.

Main results:

• Search engines remain a key resource: 54% of those surveyed access online government services via search engines (e.g. Google). Only one third of respondents search using the website of their town/city or commune.
• The use of online public services, especially from mobile devices, has risen: 61% of those surveyed have used an online public service in the last 12 months. Half of respondents that have already used an eGovernment service did so from a smartphone.
• There is high demand for online public services: For example, around one third of respondents requested a confirmation of residence without being aware of the online version. The figure even rose to around 45% for people applying for unemployment benefit.
• High level of satisfaction with the eGovernment service offering: Nearly 8 out of 10 Swiss respondents are satisfied with the authorities' digital services. The Austrians are just as satisfied, whereas the Germans are slightly less satisfied (65%). Respondents from Switzerland are most satisfied with the electronic tax declaration. The online process is described as reliable, comprehensive, fast and easy to navigate.
• In Switzerland, the main barriers to use are mainly personal: Just under half of those surveyed would rather speak to a member of staff from the authority and regard an in-person visit to the authorities as faster and easier than the online option. Other barriers cited with regard to the online option were complicated processes, a lack of familiarity and hard-to-find online services.
• In Switzerland, unlike in its neighbouring countries, trust in the state and its performance is very high: For example, 40% of respondents say that the state protects their data. This figure is less than 30% for Germany and Austria. In Germany, 56% of respondents think that the state is not able to provide high-performance internet coverage, while in Switzerland half as many people hold this opinion. Moreover, trust in the state in general, independently of digital public services, is at nearly 70% in Switzerland, which is 30% higher than in Germany and Austria.
• There has not been a significant rise in the use of the available digital authentication services: 37% of respondents from Switzerland do not use electronic authentication when using online public services. The remainder mainly use SwissID and the TAN process.

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

EU's 2022 eGovernment Benchmark report 

The European Commission's eGovernment Benchmark report, published on 28 July 2022, looks at progress in the digitalisation of public services and compares how digital public services are being delivered across Europe. The comparison uses the following four indicators: «user-friendliness», «transparency», «cross-border mobility» and «basic services» in eGovernment. These are assessed annually for the public and business, such as the birth of a child or the founding of a company. The study covers all 27 EU member states plus Switzerland, Albania, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey.

Switzerland has improved in the "basic services" indicator, particularly in terms of authentic sources. Authentic sources, e.g. automatically pre-filled forms, ease the burden on the public and businesses when using e-services. Despite a slight increase in overall performance, Switzerland ranks 28 out of 35. 

Published by: European Commission

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)

Global Innovation Index 2022

The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022, which is published jointly by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), tracks global innovation trends of 132 economies around the world against the background of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, slowing productivity growth and other ongoing challenges. The 15th edition of the GII is based on a comprehensive data set of around 80 indicators from international public and private sources. This 2022 edition of the GII focuses on the effect of innovation on productivity and wellbeing of society over the coming decades.

The study is compiled on the basis of a country's innovation inputs and outputs. Innovation inputs include human capital, research, infrastructure, and market and business sophistication. Innovation outputs include knowledge and technology, as well as creativity. Since 2011, Switzerland has topped the ranking, followed by the US, Sweden and the UK. In the areas of knowledge and technology (number of patents issued, publication of scientific articles, etc.) and creativity (e.g. international brand value), Switzerland achieves top scores.

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