Household Digital Consumer Behaviour 2023

Introduction

This chapter examines individual’s contact with public authorities and public services over the internet. The data was collected in the first three quarters of 2023. The scope of the services covered in 2023 is broader than that asked in 2022 so the data in these two years are not directly comparable.

Respondents were asked about the type of e-Government service that they accessed online in the twelve months previous prior to interview, with over a third of internet users accessing e-Government services online.

Over one third sought online information stored about them by public authorities

Key findings of internet users who used the internet in the previous 12 months:

• Over one third (35%) of internet users accessed information stored about them by public authorities or public services, for example checking of pension of employment status. See Figure 6.1 and Table 6.1
• One in six (16%) accessed publicly available information in electronic databases and registers maintained by public administrations authorities/services such as property registers, etc. 
• Over four in ten (44%) 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.
• Six in ten (59%) went online in 2023 to find information such as on benefits, entitlements, services, laws, etc. Females were more likely than men to request benefits or entitlements such as on pensions, unemployment, child allowance, enrolment in schools, universities, etc. – almost one quarter (24%) of females compared with one in five (20%) males. See Tables 6.1 and 6.2.
• Almost one in six (16%) requested official documents or certificates such as graduation, birth, marriage, divorce, death, residence certificates, police or criminal records, etc. See Table 6.2.
• The vast majority (93%) of persons who had not requested any official documents or made any claims via public authority or service website or app, said that they had no need to request any documents or to make any claims, while 4% cited that another person such as financial advisor, family friend or relative did it on their behalf. A similar number (4%) said they did not know how to use the website or app or it was too complicated to use. See Table 6.3.

Four in ten submitted a tax declaration online

Key findings of internet users who had used the internet in the previous 12 months:

• Four in ten (40%) said that they had filed their tax return or self assessment online themselves. Over one quarter said that it was done automatically such as by their employer without any need for intervention by the taxpayer. See Table 6.4.
• Over one in five (21%) of respondents, cited that someone else such as their accountant or financial advisor or family member, had submitted the tax return on their behalf. Over one third (36%) of older persons aged 60 to 74 years had submitted their tax return in this way, more than double that for persons aged 30 to 44 years (15%).