E-Government study: Digital ID card takes a leap forward

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13.5 years after the introduction of the electronic identity card with an RFID memory chip, the corresponding electronic identification (eID) is gradually becoming more acceptable. In principle, 39 percent of German citizens aged 16 and over can use this online ID card, which means they have their own PIN set for it. This is nine percentage points more than in 2023. A fifth of the population (22 percent) has already used the eID function. This is an increase of almost eight percentage points compared to the previous year. This is the first time in the history of online ID that the use of eID has increased significantly.

The figures come from the e-Government Monitor 2024, which the D21 initiative, supported by the state and business, has created together with the Technical University of Munich. For this year’s edition Representative Studies Market research institute Kantar surveyed 8,108 online users in Germany in May. The results on state digital identity, which are to be published on Wednesday, are the first partial part of an overall analysis for 2024. The full study will be published on October 8.

The VHF end: the long way out of short wave

According to the evaluation, there is an increase in the basic readiness for the use of eID, especially recorded in the youngest and oldest generations. For those aged up to 30 years, this rate increased by 15 percentage points to 56 percent, and for those born before 1945 it increased by twelve points to 25 percent. One of the main reasons against the use of Ready Online is still that those surveyed do not see any use or benefit in it (22 percent), but this is five percentage points lower than in 2023. 22 also said, “It’s too complicated for me.” percent. Only 15 percent are not aware of any possible application, i.e. a decrease of three percentage points. At least the one-time payment for students associated with BundID and eID as well as the Culture Pass is likely to bring the online ID card into the focus of potential users.

Fewer citizens trust online IDs

40 percent of eID users belong to Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2010. 32 percent have a higher level of formal education, 28 percent are men and 15 percent are women. Regional differences are large: in urban states, usage rates range between 29 and 32 percent, with Berlin coming out on top, while Saxony, which is in last place, has only 16 percent. At 23 percent, less than a quarter of citizens with an ID card are aware of the option to read their eID with a smartphone with NFC support (smart eID). Ignorance of possible applications is still the most important reason against usage at 30 percent, but this is eight percentage points lower than last year. Twelve percent have no trust in online ID cards – an increase of four points.

37 percent already use wallet solutions on their cell phones, which will be introduced in the future with the EUID regulation. This is nine percentage points more than in 2023. 55 percent would like to be able to identify themselves everywhere on their mobile phones in the future. But 21 percent are not enthusiastic about this. 24 percent say that the reason for putting off individual online services from the digital town hall is that they should have identified themselves electronically but did not have the opportunity to do so. 52 percent say that the biggest obstacle to e-government is that they have to identify themselves digitally. Many people probably will not even notice that BundID is being renamed DeutschlandID: So far only 19 percent of the population knows the term for the administration’s online account. The usage rate is 15 percent – an increase of eight percentage points.

20 Euro for the PIN reset letter

For Christiane Fritsch, digital leadership expert at ING Germany and vice president of D21, the new statistics give “reason for hope”. She was surprised that so little information was received about alternatives to using eID, for example for electronic patient cards, inquiries at point registers in Flensburg or for customer authentication. But it does not help that the federal government has ended the free PIN reset service. As Helmut Krackmer of the TU Berlin, co-editor of the report, reminds us: “Forgetfulness is one of the human characteristics.” If online ID serves as a gateway to attractive applications, citizens may even be willing to pay to maintain online capability. In general, the executive branch will have to “intensify communication” to continue the wave that is building.

Ernst Burger, head of the digital administration department at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, replied that resending the PIN was 14 euros too expensive. The department is currently in the process of implementing a payment function. This should cost around 20 euros. Security experts value mail delivery highly, even if they personally want a purely digital version. Officials could also basically imagine moving the eID to the cloud. The planned advertising campaign will have to await the final budget negotiations, as so far the red pencil has had to be used here.

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