The biggest problem facing potential users previously, apart from a lack of available services, was security online. Today that's not such a concern. 23% of those questioned said that they were happy with transmitting their personal details, including credit card details, online. This compares favourably with the same response twelve months ago when only 14% were happy to give such details. Having said that, 90% of the Japanese and 76% of the French said they thought eGovernment services were unsafe. 15% of eGovernment users have made online transactions using these services too, which is about the same as the generic Internet audience, which suggests its a maturity, rather than Government, issue.
Unfortunately the UK is not one of the countries that can claim impressive rates of eGovernment adoption. In fact it's amongst the worst, next to Japan, with only 13%. So much for Tony Blair's electronic Government claims. The Swedes are leading the charge with a mammoth take-up rate of 57% of the population. Norway is in hot pursuit however with 56% of its population accessing eGovernment services in the last twelve months. Scandinavian countries, along with Singapore and Hong Kong, in fact are the clear trail blazers when it comes to eGovernment.
The global community is turning to eGovernment primarily for information, cited by 24% of those questioned, with 11% specifically downloading information from eGovernment sites. In fact, says Taylor Nelson Sofres, it is this search for information, rather than the specific use of transactional services, that has driven eGovernment adoption. The proportion of people searching for eGovernment information has risen from 20% to 24% in the twelve months to September 2002.
This has long been an ambition for the Governments of the world. Having seen businesses streamline their operations and deliver services through technology and the Internet, they are rushing into this area with considerable gusto. They want to experience those benefits too. But it's a difficult thing to do. That's why you hear about so much project failure in Government. The scale and complexity of the projects are such as to make them challenge even the most battle hardened project manager. They are tackling these projects though and, gradually, they're delivering real value at grass roots and corporate level.
Quelle: IT-Director
