Digitisation risks shutting citizens out of essential government services
As government services move only, new research has shown digital inclusion gaps risk alienating users from essential services. According to the Digital Poverty Alliance and Cognizant, organisations must work to design services which serve citizens from all backgrounds.
The research by the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) and commissioned by Cognizant, specifically looked at accessing platforms related to universal and pension credit, ID, driving licenses, eVisas and school admissions. It found that one-in-five people in the UK are already unable to access or use essential digital government services without help.
Specifically, the nationally representative survey of 2,000 adults showed that nearly six-in-10 UK based adults have struggled to log in to government services. And this is not something which will improve with time, either – as future generations seem to have the most trouble. While a quarter of people face difficulties using the systems, this rises to 40% of younger adults – busting the myth that it is older people who struggle most with online services.
Some of this also stems from the lack of devices and data accessible to people from lower-income backgrounds. One-in-10 lack reliable internet connectivity to access digital government services, with many participants relying on mobile data that frequently runs out, struggling with poor signal inside their homes, or feeling uncomfortable using the services in public. Meanwhile, one-in-10 also reported not having a suitable device, with many expressing concerns about having to use a phone to access digital government services, noting that lengthy forms often require a larger screen and a keyboard.
Digital shut-out
As government accelerates toward digital-first services, the research suggests that systems are too often built for an idealised user – one with a reliable connection, a suitable device and the confidence to navigate complex forms – rather than the full range of people who actually depend on them. Meanwhile, having ‘next generation technology’ often sees previous staples neglected – even though they remain useful.
Six-in-10 respondents had phoned a government helpline before, but while 61% found that experience helpful, many participants were unaware of a dedicated helpline for digital government services. Participants also reported long wait times and said they were often redirected back to online channels or did not receive sufficiently helpful advice or support. And this may be piling pressure onto other aspects of society. Nearly one-in-five reported that they would be lost without help from friends, family or charity workers – but charities are often not funded to provide this type of help and advice.
Yatin Mahandru, head of public sector and health for Cognizant in the UK and Ireland, commented, “These findings provide important guidance for public sector leaders pursuing a digital-first agenda. Digital by default mustn’t mean digital only, when one in five people can’t access essential services without help, this risks further disadvantaging those that can least afford it. The answer isn’t to slow transformation down, it’s to design it around how citizens actually live, on the devices they really use, with assisted and human support built in from the start across citizen journeys, rather than bolted on at the end.”
