A government studyExternal link, published on Tuesday, revealed that demand for electronic governance services was far greater than what was on offer.
E-voting, for example, is only used by 2% of Swiss voters at present, yet 68% believe it should be open to all. Meanwhile, 12% say it should only be available to voters with disabilities and those living abroad.
Over the past 15 years several cantons have used e-voting on a trial basis with systems developed by Swiss Post or canton Geneva (this system will be stopped at the end of 2019 for cost reasons). Many Swiss voters – especially those living abroad – are eager to vote online, but there is also opposition in certain quarters.
Most people who took part in the government study said they were very open to the idea of using e-governance services. Over 60% of those questioned said they do all or at least half of their administrative procedures online. This rises to 73% for companies.
Most firms said they did not encounter any problems when using e-government services; only 8% reported difficulties.
Concerns, complications
While 90% of individuals said they were generally successful when carrying out administrative procedures online, one quarter felt there were certain complications, relating to data protection and security concerns, locating offers and the lack of explanations.
There was widespread agreement that much work is still needed to improve e-governance offers at federal, cantonal and communal levels in Switzerland. In all, 86% of federal and local government employees believe e-governance offers must be further developed, a view shared by the population and companies.
The second national study on e-governance was carried out by the independent polling firm DemoSCOPE on behalf of the eGovernment Switzerland Programme Office External linkand the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
More
More
Democracy
Ten arguments for and against e-voting
This content was published on
Is voting online a big step forwards or backwards? Opinion in Switzerland about the use of electronic voting is divided.
Boats sail to Solothurn to celebrate 700 years of Le Landeron
This content was published on
The challenge of crossing Lake Biel from Le Landeron to Solothurn without a motor was taken up by 16 amateur crews on Saturday. The competition is part of Le Landeron's 700th anniversary celebrations.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Opposition against e-voting project gathers pace
This content was published on
A committee of politicians and IT experts launches an initiative aimed at banning online voting for at least five years in Switzerland.
This content was published on
Next year, Swiss authorities will put one of the country’s two e-voting systems up for attack by hackers – with a prize on offer for breaking it.
Expat Swiss push for e-voting despite reluctance at home
This content was published on
The expat Swiss assembly has given the green light for an online petition calling for the introduction of e-voting by 2021.
How risky are flawed e-voting systems for democracy?
This content was published on
A leading data protection expert has warned of security breaches if the government’s plan to introduce e-voting at a nationwide level goes ahead.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.