Majority of Swiss in favour of e-voting but want uniform service

E-voting has growing support in Switzerland © Keystone / Christian Beutler

E-voting has the support of 84% of the population, according to a survey of Swiss residents by consultancy firm Deloitte.

The coronavirus pandemic is increasingly seen as a catalyst for digitalisation, Deloitte wrote in a survey on Tuesday. A clear majority of respondents want government authorities, and not private companies, to offer uniform services throughout Switzerland. Those in favour of e-voting cited simplicity (68%) and time saving (72%) as advantages. They also appreciated flexibility when it came to location (72%) and time (75%).

According to the survey, 38% of respondents have developed a greater affinity for online government services. At the same time, 21% say their confidence in e-government has declined during the pandemic, much more than in last year’s Deloitte survey (7%). A growing number are concerned about risks, particularly cyber security and privacy.

As in the previous year, a clear majority of 73% want the authorities’ services to be uniform throughout Switzerland and 86% wanted digital services to be offered by a government agency and not by private companies. Only 8% did not see any added value in e-governance.

A clear majority of respondents also wanted new services: 84% said they wanted to order their passport or ID card entirely via a digital platform.

Deloitte conducted the survey in September 2021 among 1,000 people aged 18 to 81 from urban and rural areas of German- and French-speaking Switzerland.