Post Office queues to become a thing of the past

06/07/2009

"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."

Voting in elections, claiming benefits, making doctor's appointments and getting repeat prescriptions are just some of the public services that Brits want transferred online in the next five years according to NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts¹.

In a consumer report published today by NESTA, the Government is being urged to follow the nation online. It shows that 80 per cent 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 per cent saying it would save them time and 60 per cent 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 per cent of people questioned are regularly using the web for everyday activities like shopping (92 per cent), providing feedback to a company or organisation (80 per cent), social networking (69 per cent), or accessing information from NHS direct (53 per cent). A third of consumers (34 per cent) have shared information such as videos, photography, blogs and music on popular social networking sites, with the figure rising to 50 per cent for under-35s who are doing this on a frequent basis.

NESTA claims that the enthusiasm that Brits have 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 21^st Century. Although 43 per cent 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 per cent 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. 

NESTA is today launching a programme called 'Reboot Britain' with a conference in London. It aims to bring together people pioneering new online and digital applications to help improve Britain's public services. The day-long event promises to have practical outcomes, including finding new ways that technology will deliver better school education, health services, environmental, and other local services. 

For further information, please contact Chani Hirsch on 020 7438 2601 or Chani.Hirsch@nesta.org.uk or Jan Singleton on 020 7438 2606 or at Jan.Singleton@nesta.org.uk

Notes to Editors

About NESTA

NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, an independent body with a mission to make the UK more innovative.

With the largest portfolio of early-stage businesses in the country, it is a leading authority on how to grow new ideas. It also stimulates imaginative solutions to pressing social issues and shapes policy to help the UK meet its national innovation challenges.

About Reboot Britain

Reboot Britain is a groundbreaking programme from NESTA that aims to harness the power of the web to shape better public services. New tools for online collaboration are breaking down traditional barriers between the people who make products and services, and those who consume them. Our challenge is to capitalise on this unique opportunity to put people - their wants and needs - at the heart of innovative, responsive and reinvigorated public services.

Reboot Britain Event

Reboot Britain is a one-day event which will take a totally different look at the challenges we face as a country and the new possibilities that - uniquely - this generation has to overcome them.  It will bring together people trailblazing new approaches afforded by the advance of the web and digital technologies to help design and deliver better public services.

Speakers include Jeremy Hunt MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Gillian Tett from the Financial Times, Martha Lane-Fox the recently appointed Digital inclusion champion, and Jeff Saperstein, a  Silicon Valley expert.  The programme is structured around punchy, provocative, ideas-led presentations and participative fringe sessions, run in parallel.  For more information, go to www.rebootbritain.com

About the research

Research was carried out by Opinion Matters/ Martettiers4dc for NESTA between 23^rd June 2009 and 26^th June 2009 amongst a nationally representative sample of 1092 UK adults.