Electronic Elections: Half of Brits More Likely to Vote If They Could Vote Electronically
2024年5月23日 - 2:00PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
- New survey shows over a half (58%) of
respondents believe electronic voting could streamline interactions
with government services
- Over a quarter (28%) of respondents feel that
electronic voting would increase their faith in the electoral
process
Almost one in two (48%) Brits say they would be more likely to
vote if able to do so electronically, according to new research
from e-Residency, a government-issued digital identity that
provides non-residents access to Estonia’s digital services.
With key elections happening in the UK and US this year, the
research polled UK and US adults on their thoughts on digital
government services and electronic elections. With low voter
turnouts at UK elections, it is noteworthy that 72% of respondents
would be willing to consider a new method of voting that might be
quicker than visiting a polling station. Almost three quarters
(73%) of UK respondents agreed an electronic voting process could
be easier to use than traditional polling stations.
Having the ability to vote electronically would increase faith
in and usage of wider government systems, with more than a quarter
(28%) of UK respondents agreeing that electronic voting would
increase their faith in the electoral process and over half (58%)
believing electronic interfaces would streamline interactions with
government services.
Designing digital systems
The research asked respondents which services they would find
most useful if available on a single digital platform.
In the UK, the overwhelming response was the ability to access
health records (50%) followed by:
- Local government services (i.e. street care, local crime
reporting, road/parking issues): 46% of individuals agreed they
would like if these services were digitised, making interaction
with local authorities smoother.
- Electronic voting in elections: two in five (41%)
considered electronic voting in elections to be one of the most
useful services, with those in the North East most keen on making
voting digital (49%).
- Banking: While banking has shifted rapidly online with
the growing fintech ecosystem in Europe, 40% would like further
online banking services.
Barriers to digital uptake
While there is clearly a desire for certain services to be
offered digitally, there are barriers that must be addressed to
encourage their usage.
When asked what would prevent individuals from registering to
vote electronically the main concern was around personal data
security and privacy (49%) closely followed by cyber attacks and
hacking (48%) and a lack of trust in the registration process
(35%).
Liina Vahtras, Managing Director of e-Residency said,
“Research indicates a growing demand in the UK for the
digitalisation of various services, including voting. By
digitalising essential government functions and integrating
technology into many facets of society, administrative tasks, such
as voting, become much simpler and accessible for residents and
non-residents alike.
“Estonia’s successful digital infrastructure, built on years of
transparency and integrity, has resulted in a seamlessly integrated
digital society with widespread citizen participation. The
e-Residency programme was created to provide digital ID’s to vetted
non-residents, who through this, are able to access Estonia’s
wealth of digital services, including access to the country’s
transparent business environment, health records, banking and
voting in regional and national elections. Across its ten year
tenure, the e-Residency programme has granted over 113,500 people
e-resident status with the number continuing to climb which speaks
to the desire for the digitization of various services.”
About e-Residency
Estonia launched the world’s first e-Residency programme at the
end of 2014, with the aim of providing non-residents safe access to
its fully digital public services. Over the years, over 113,500
people have been granted e-resident status. E-residents have set up
more than 30,200 companies in Estonia.
E-residents are free to work anytime, anywhere. The programme
offers entrepreneurs an easy and affordable way to expand their
business across borders and be location-independent. By leveraging
the high-security e-resident digital ID, entrepreneurs can
streamline cross-border operations without the burden of excessive
paperwork. With the ability to create time-stamped Qualified
Electronic Signatures, entrepreneurs can confidently sign legal
contracts and authenticate transactions with the same legal
validity as handwritten signatures.
For more information about Estonian e-Residency and related
statistics, please visit: https://www.e-resident.gov.ee
About Estonian e-ID
All Estonians have a state-issued digital identity. This
electronic identity system, called e-ID, was launched in 2002 and
is the cornerstone of the country’s e-state. The chip on the card
carries embedded files, and using public key encryption, it can be
used as definitive proof of ID in an electronic environment. People
use their e-Identities to pay bills, vote online, sign contracts,
shop, access their health information, and much more. It was first
used for voting almost 20 years ago in 2005 and in the last general
election over 313,000 people voted online, the first time more than
50 percent of ballots had been e-votes.
Estonians can use their e-Identity via state-issued identity or
ID-card, using Mobile-ID on their smartphones, or the application
Smart-ID.
Methodology
This e-Residency study was conducted online in April 2024, among
a sample of 2,000 adults aged 18 and over living in the United
Kingdom. Respondents for these surveys were selected from a panel
of respondents compensated to take surveys relevant to them. The
modelled error estimate for the full sample is plus or minus 2.2
percentage points.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240522766009/en/
Mary Taylor / Elisa Litvin eresidency@clarity.global