According to a new EY Connected Citizen Survey, 80 per cent of Indian citizens feel that the government and public services in India have been effective in using digital technology to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. Respondents in India hold a favorable attitude towards technology and see an important role for technological innovation in public service delivery. The EY Connected Citizen Survey was conducted by Ipsos MORI, with 1,000 respondents from India between the age 18 to 50, and globally 1,2100 respondents across 12 countries.
Respondents in India are more likely than average to use mobile applications to provide feedback on public services. They are comfortable with technology replacing face-to-face human interaction and are inclined to use an artificial intelligence powered chat bot to communicate with the government. They want the government to prioritse making certain services available online including pension planning, resources to help people set up businesses and providing more ways for citizens to have an online say in government decision making.
Over the past year, the pandemic has increased the need for governments across the world to offer more services remotely, and in some cases, they have been delivered entirely online. This has resulted in the generation of much larger volumes of citizens’ data which is then collected by governments. Compared to other countries, there are fewer concerns about data privacy in India. 63 per cent Indians feel comfortable in sharing their personal data with the government online in order to access a service, while 34 per cent don’t feel comfortable in sharing the same. Similarly, 57 per cent feel comfortable in sharing their personal data with a company in order to perform a transaction and 48 per cent feel comfortable in sharing their personal data through social networking services. Globally, 53 per cent of those surveyed think that privacy and security risks around how their data is shared outweigh the benefits.
Commenting on the matter, Gaurav Taneja, Partner and Leader, Government and Public Sector, EY India, says, “Digitisation is the new normal and the Indian Government was quick to adopt technologies, especially during the pandemic, to deliver safe, secure and improved digital services to all citizens. Going forward, a more inclusive digitalisation approach including unique digital ids, smart portals and mobile apps, integrated digital platforms, etc. on the back of design thinking, customer experience labs and data analytics will help the government design their services to make each touchpoint better, faster and more efficient, and to move towards more proactive and even predictive service delivery to Indian citizens.”
Further, the report added that 55 per cent of India respondents stated that they use the internet at least once a day, while 38 per cent of respondents stated that they use the internet all the time for personal use (e.g. website access, email, social networking, etc.). In terms of activities, 78 per cent respondents used social networking sites, 75 per cent used internet for shopping, while 74 per cent used it for streaming TV, music or videos. Looking ahead to the future, 81 per cent of the respondents think that technology will change the way they bank and shop, 80 per cent of the respondents think that it will change the way they work/study, and 79 per cent of the respondents think that it will change the way they entertain themselves.
As per EY, respondents in India are among the most optimistic compared to citizens in other countries. They are optimistic about their family, their local area, their country, and the world in general. However, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had an impact on life satisfaction. Eight in ten participants said they were happy with their quality of life prior to the pandemic (81 per cent), while less than half were satisfied at the time of the survey (45 per cent). The India respondents are more likely than average to view – access to good mental health services, access to a good education, opportunities to learn new skills, and good community spirit – as very important to their quality of life. They view financial security (38 per cent), safety (40 per cent), and healthcare (43 per cent) as less important than people in other countries, though these remain top priorities for around four in ten respondents.
According to the report, globally, while the survey reflects optimism that technology improves quality of life (according to 72 per cent of respondents), there are significant concerns about its broader impact. Many believe that increased use of technology will potentially widen social inequalities, with 32 per cent stating that technology will lead to greater social inequality and 34 per cent stating that technology gives more power to those who are already rich and powerful. There are further concerns around the impact of increased reliance on technology as a means for communication on social cohesion. Globally, 32 per cent of citizens believe technology will make people feel less connected to their communities. However, demand still exists to further develop people’s digital skills. 61 per cent say they would be likely to use government training schemes that improve their digital skills if they were available. Looking ahead to the future, according to the India respondents, healthcare services (49 per cent), availability of good jobs (42 per cent), clean air and green spaces (39 per cent) are amongst the most important to improve in their local area.
Further, 71 per cent of the respondents think the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to greater use of technology in their daily lives in the future, 69 per cent feel technology innovation will be more than ever before, while 63 per cent believe that the reliance on domestically produced goods will be more compared to the pre-COVID era. Meanwhile, 40 per cent of the respondents feel that making more use of online and digital technologies in the provision of public services would make the biggest difference to the quality of public services they receive. 39 per cent of the respondents stated that providing online resources for people to learn new skills or look for a new job and making many more government and public services available online, respectively, should be the key priorities for the government of India.
The survey segments respondents into seven personas: Aspirational Technophiles (well-educated digital natives excited by the power of technology), Capable Achievers (pragmatic technophiles who embrace innovation), Diligent Strivers (young self-improvers keen to get on in life), Tech Skeptics (older, lower income earners who struggle to see technology’s benefits), Privacy Defenders (cautious sharing their data with government or private companies), Passive Outsiders (detached from the connected world and reluctant to embrace change) and Struggling Providers (low-paid workers who lack digital skills and access). These categories offer insights into how governments should consider working with different societal groups. For example, the survey indicates that Aspirational Technophiles, Capable Achievers and Diligent Strivers are more comfortable with sharing their data to access a service or perform a transaction online, and with their data being shared. But there is a lack of support among Tech Skeptics, Privacy Defenders and Passive Outsiders about governments and businesses gaining access to their data. These personas also give key insights into the perspectives of certain demographics around fundamental issues, such as immigration, climate change and globalisation. The distribution of citizen personas differs by country. India consists of a high proportion of Aspirational Technophiles and Diligent Strivers (25 per cent each, reflecting the sample profile) but a smaller number of Passive Outsiders (3 per cent) and Capable Achievers (8 per cent).
