Usage of Electronic Public Services in Bulgaria

Abstract

The digitalization of services provided by public institutions can substantially reduce the costs of citizens’ interactions with these institutions, like travel and waiting times. It can also increase the efficiency of providing these services. Despite the benefits, Bulgaria still lags behind most European Union countries regarding the use of e-government services. Only 36% of the Bulgarian internet users access e-government services, compared to an EU average of 64%. While the supply side of the public e-services is regularly the focus of general discussions, little is known about the demand for e-services in Bulgaria. This paper contributes to understanding the usage patterns of e-services provided by governmental, healthcare, and educational institutions. We link the propensity of using the three different types of e-services to the socio-demographic and economic characteristics of the respondents within a multilevel logistic regression model using data from a sample of Bulgarian internet users. The results show that persons with low educational attainment, low self-reported digital technology skills, and lack of experience with commercial electronic services are less likely to use any of the three types of public e-services. Respondents living in rural areas or small towns were also less likely to access public e-services. Furthermore, the model reveals a regional variation that can help focus information campaigns about e-services.