This chapter examines individual’s contact with public authorities and public services over the internet. The data was collected in the first two quarters of 2022.
Respondents were asked about the type of e-Government service that they accessed online in the twelve months previous prior to interview. In the 2022 survey, extra questions were added to gather information on the range of Government services accessed online.
Almost four in ten (39%) internet users in 2022 made an appointment or reservation via a website or app with public authorities or public services such as reserving a book in a public library, appointment with a Government official such as NDLS, passport service, or public health appointment with hospital, etc. See Figure 5.1 and Table 5.1.
In 2022, the survey data shows that more than one in seven (15%) had accessed personal information held by public authorities or public services such as on pensions, health, driver licence, penalty points, etc., while just 3% had accessed public information held on public databases or registers, such as information about the availability of books in public libraries, cadastral/land registry registers, etc. Three in five of internet users (60%) had accessed other information such as about services, benefits, entitlements, laws, opening hours, etc. Just short of three in ten (29%) internet users had not accessed any personal records or public databases or registers online. Over half (53%) of internet users reported downloading/printing official forms. See Figure 5.1 and Table 5.1.
Almost one in five (19%) internet users had requested official documents or certificates such as graduation, birth, marriage, divorce, death, residence certificates, police or criminal records, while one in five (20%) had requested benefits or entitlements such as on pensions, unemployment, child allowance, enrolment in schools, universities, etc. and just one in twenty (5%) made other requests, claims or complaints such as reporting a theft to An Garda Síochána, launching a legal complaint, requesting legal aid, initiating a civil claim procedure, etc. Just short of two thirds (65%) had made no official requests or claims online. See Table 5.2.
More females than males had requested online requested official documents or certificates or benefits or entitlements – 22% of females compared with one in six (16%) males requesting official documents or certificates and 18% of males requesting benefits or entitlements. See Figure 5.2 and Table 5.2.
Respondents who had not requested any official documents or made any claims via public authority or service website or app, were asked for the reason why they had not done so. The vast majority (94%) said that they had no need to request any documents or to make any claims, while 2% reported that as did not know how to use the website or app or it was too complicated to use, while 4% cited that another person such as financial advisor, family friend or relative did it on their behalf. Just 1% cited concerns about the security of personal data or unwillingness to pay online because of concerns about credit card fraud, etc. See Table 5.3.
ROS (Revenue Online Service) allows people to file their tax return or self-assessment online. In the 2022 survey, respondents were asked if they had submitted their personal tax return. This was a new set of questions asked for the first time in the 2022 survey. Nearly one in five (18%) said that it was done automatically such as by Revenue, employer, etc. For over one in six (16%) of respondents, someone else such as their accountant or financial advisor or family member, had submitted the tax return on their behalf, while over four in ten (41%) said that they had filed their tax return themselves. Just 1% had submitted their tax declaration in paper format. See Table 5.4.
One in six (16%) said that someone else such as a tax advisor, family member, etc. had submitted their tax declaration on their behalf. This was the method used by one third (33%) of older persons aged 60 to 74 years, compared with one in six (16%) of respondents aged 30 to 44 years. See Table 5.4.
Of internet users who had accessed the online services of a public authority or service, over six in ten (62%) had not encountered any problems, while over one in four (26%) said the website or app was difficult to use such as it was not user-friendly, the wording was not clear, the procedure was not well explained, etc. Over one in five (21%) experienced technical problems as long loading, website crashed, etc., and one in twelve (8%) were not able to access the online service on their smartphone or tablet such as non-compatible device version or non-available applications, etc. See Figure 5.5 and Table 5.5.
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