Digital State – Sotomo survey commissioned by Swico

Summary at a glance

Digital transformation is changing our everyday lives and placing demands on society, business and, not least, government. How well prepared is the latter, in the view of the Swiss population, to meet the challenges of digitalisation? Where are the biggest gaps, and where is action most urgently needed? Swico, the Swiss trade association for the ICT and online sectors, wanted to know how the population assesses the digital state in Switzerland and what it expects from the public sector. Swico commissioned Sotomo to conduct a representative survey examining how people across society view public institutions in Switzerland.

Respondents saw the biggest gaps, and especially the greatest need for action, in cybersecurity and digital violence. Beyond basic security issues, the population identified education – and, by extension, digital skills overall – as areas with major shortcomings.

The public’s priorities make clear that, in its view, digital government encompasses far more than a narrow debate about online service counters and e-voting might suggest. Creating digital security and building digital skills, both in education and beyond, are seen as key government responsibilities for successfully managing digital transformation.

For this study, Sotomo surveyed 1,254 people online in the first half of November 2021. The results are representative of the linguistically integrated population of German-speaking Switzerland. The survey covered the following eight topics:

• Digital skills
• Cybersecurity
• Digitalisation and education
• Digital violence
• Digitalisation and health
• Online service counter
• Digital democracy
• Digital foreign policy

To rule out effects caused by the order of questions, the topics were presented in a different random order to each respondent. In each area, respondents were first asked how familiar they were with key terms and the current situation. They were then asked to assess the current state of digital development and the importance of specific services. Finally, in each area, we asked: should the government accelerate or slow its own development in this area?

In the study’s editorial, Judith Bellaiche adds:

“The findings of this study will help Swico recalibrate its compass and organise its policy efforts. In particular, they should give public authorities at every level points of reference to help them set the right priorities and intensify dialogue with the public.”