About the Document
The eGovernment MONITOR 2025 is a study published by Initiative D21 e. V. and the Technische Universität München (TUM), conducted by Kantar. It is described as a representative survey of people aged 16 and over in private households in Germany, Austria and Switzerland who use the internet privately. The study covers the use and acceptance of digital administrative services and has been published annually since 2010. The Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation (BMDS) is listed as patron.
Methodology
- Data collection: online survey (CAWI) conducted in April and May 2025.
- Sample: Germany n = 8,058 (about n = 500 per federal state), Austria n = 1,000 and Switzerland n = 1,000.
- Project leadership and editing: Initiative D21 and TUM, with Kantar GmbH as the implementing institute.
Key Findings on Trust and Performance
- Trust in the state in Germany is 33 percent, down from 35 percent in 2023 and 38 percent in 2022. Austria stands at 39 percent and Switzerland at 60 percent.
- Only 16 percent of Germans think public administration works as efficiently as businesses, and 12 percent feel the state makes their life easier.
- Just 15 percent say their expectations of a modern digital administration are met, compared with 36 percent in Austria and 46 percent in Switzerland.
Digital Use and the Usage Gap
- The "Digital Nutzungslücke" (digital usage gap), meaning people who handle administrative matters only offline, is one third in Germany.
- Online ID use reached 25 percent in 2025, up from 22 percent, while 51 percent say they would use digital services more intensively if they did not have to identify themselves digitally.
- 68 percent can imagine a fully digital administration ("Digital Only"), with 34 percent accepting it without restriction and 9 percent rejecting it.
Focus Topics
- Cybersecurity: 81 percent in Germany expect cybercrime to be fought as firmly as analogue crime, but only one in four considers the state well prepared.
- Electronic patient record (ePA): 13 percent say they have tried it, and 72 percent of those aware of it are willing to use it.
Federal State Comparison
The study provides key figures for each German federal state, including the usage gap, Digital Only openness, satisfaction with municipal online services and online ID use. Hamburg has the smallest usage gap at 23 percent, while Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has the largest at 39 percent.
Why It Matters for Digital Public Services
The study states that its findings are intended to help decision-makers measure progress and identify weaknesses so that measures can be targeted to improve digital administrative services. It addresses policymakers, administrators and those working towards a better state, as the foreword by the federal minister notes.