Denmark is one of the most digital countries in the world and at the same time, one of the countries with the highest level of trust in public authorities. Citizens' trust in public digital services is an important measurement for how citizens experience digital government.
Digital public services play a major role in the relationship between citizens and digital government. Today, many citizens primarily meet the public sector through digital services. Through these services, citizens are able to e.g. register a new address, get a digital driver’s license, see their medical results, order a new passport etc.
In the digital government, citizens need to trust that e.g. public digital services are working, that mail from the public sector arrives on time and that data is handled safely, and used for an appropriate purpose.
Trust in digital government is based on citizens’ digital competences, citizens’ view of authorities and their experience with public digital services. Therefore, it is essential, that public authorities demonstrate that they are capable of providing both high quality digital services and the necessary support for citizens.
In both 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Agency for Digital Government completed an extensive analysis on the Danish population’s experience with and trust in the digital public sector. The annual publications analyse the difference in trust levels across population groups and the correlation between trust and those, who have difficulty navigating the digital public sector.
The Agency for Digital Government finds it important to understand the population’s digital encounters with the public sector, in order to gain insight into how citizens’ trust is affected by public digital services. This is essential in order to provide high quality and secure services and give the right help to those, who find it difficult to be in contact with the public sector digitally.
The analysis is based on data from Statistics Denmark’s survey on it-usage in the Danish population from 2021, 2022 and 2023 as well as Epinion’s survey on user satisfaction with the public digital services provided by The Agency for Digital Government from 2023.
Epinion has developed a survey on user satisfaction with the public digital services provided by The Agency for Digital Government to the Danish citizens. The survey was done in collaboration with The Agency for Digital Government.
Statistics Denmark’s yearly survey asks Danish citizens a number of questions regarding their it-usage. The survey is developed in collaboration with Statistics Denmark, the DaneAge Association and the Agency for Digital Government. In 2023, the survey had 4.625 respondents between 15 and 89 years of age. The sample is representative for the Danish population.
Title: Chief Advisor
Area: Division for Analysis and Strategy
Email: eek@digst.dk
Phone: 2257 0559
