Voting in elections, claiming benefits, making doctor's appointments and obtaining repeat prescriptions are just some of the public services that citizens in the UK want transferred online in the next five years according to NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.
A consumer report published this week by the organisation claims the government is being urged to follow the nation online. It shows that 80% of the public want public services to be made available online and three-quarters of those want this to happen in the next five years.
Most are fed up having to queue, make trips or wait for hours on the phone with 84% saying it would save them time and 60% believing that they would have easier access to essential services if they were moved online.
Nesta also carried out a health check on the UK's online habits. 95% of people questioned are regularly using the web for everyday activities such as shopping (92%), providing feedback to a company or organisation (80%), social networking (69%), or accessing information from NHS direct (53%). A third of consumers (34%) have shared information such as videos, photography, blogs and music on popular social networking sites, with the figure rising to 50% for under-35s who are doing this on a frequent basis.
Nesta claims that the enthusiasm that the public has for online activities is proof that more needs to be done to get Britain ready for a new digital era – and in particular, to bring public services up to date with the 21st century.
Although 43% of those questioned had not heard of the government's recent Digital Britain report, there was still a clear appetite for them to get involved in improving public services with half of respondents saying they wanted to give their views on how services should be delivered and 17% wanting to voice their opinion on as many things as possible.
Jonathan Kestenbaum, Nesta's chief executive says: "It's clear that the UK is committed to an online future. We've got to use this to our advantage by making our public services accessible to people. Our economy will depend on it."
On Monday Nesta held a 'Reboot Britain' conference in London for people pioneering new online and digital applications to help improve Britain's public services.
From Bubb's Blog
From Whitehall Watch
