Government Information Society Programme and the Ministry of the Interior: Internet services of the home municipality and the Ministry of Labour are the most popular

The most frequently visited public-sector internet pages are the websites of home municipalities and the mol.fi service provided by the Ministry of Labour. This is a result of an inquiry carried out in November and December on the internet services provided by public administration. During the previous three months, 49 per cent of the respondents had visited the web pages of their own home municipalities and 37 per cent the mol.fi service of the Ministry of Labour. The websites of KELA, tax authorities and libraries were the next most frequently visited sites.

The age group 25-34 was the most active user of internet services provided by public administration but the largest proportional increase took place during the last two years in the age group 50-79. Those under 35 visited most frequently the mol.fi site while those over 35 preferred the web pages of their home municipality.

People look for specific information on the public websites

The majority of the respondents, 83 per cent, used the public administration services to look for a specific peace of information. 23 per cent of the respondents reported that they had successfully used online customer services.

People would like to use the Internet as a channel for government customer services, especially for checking their own data in government databases, applying for compensation from, e.g., the Social Insurance Institution and submitting information to competent authorities. In stead, the majority of people prefer to handle matters concerning their health, for example prescription renewals, in person or by using the telephone.

Most people estimated that utilisation of new technology in public services will decrease the number of public sector service utilities (70%), speed up the authorities' service processes (65%), increase availability of services (64%), improve the competitiveness of businesses (63%) and cut customer expenses (59%).

Spare time more often spent online

Studies show that 75 per cent of the Finnish population uses the Internet. The average time spent on the Internet is 7.8 hours per week. Women use the Internet as much as men.

Use of the Internet has increased significantly compared to the previous year. The proportion of daily users of the Internet and e-mail has kept increasing in all age groups since the autumn 2004 and people consider the online services ever more important. However, the amount of new users has increased slowly. The popularity of sms messages is still increasing but there are no significant differences in the number of additional service users.

As a whole, it seems that those who have used the Internet, e-mail and online services before will continue to use them, even more actively and for a wider range of purposes.
On the other hand, use of information and communications technology has increased also among elderly people. The digital gap between generations is slowly narrowing - especially when the population groups that have used the Internet at work get older.

Finns have confidence in netbanks and electronic services

A study related to the Government Information Society Programme surveyed, for example, citizens' confidence in netbanks and e-payments, submitting information on people's health and government online services. Ways of using the Internet and places to use it were also surveyed. E-commerce is constantly on the increase and confidence in netbanks is still great as 92 per cent of Finns consider netbank services safe. Use of a credit card in Finnish online services is considered safe by 65 per cent while foreign services get the confidence of only almost 40 per cent of citizens.

The more comprehensive, regularly needed and more tightly linked to the users' everyday operations the use of ICT and online services is, the bigger the difference between the age groups. The critical factor does not always seem to be citizens' lack of ICT skills but the fact that there are not always such services available that would motivate the use of ICT in all courses of life. The Internet is, however, now used on a more regular basis and the time spent on the Internet has doubled in a year.

People let others handle their businesses with the bank through the Internet

It is quite common that people let others handle, especially, their businesses with the bank through the Internet, even though they had access to the Internet at home too. This applies equally in all age groups.

The Internet is most frequently used at home. Use of the Internet has increased also in connection with a visit to a friend or relative, at work and in educational institutes. In public service utilities, such as libraries, the Internet is used as much as before. Most popular Internet service centres are located in Internet cafeterias or shops and other business premises. Opposite to expectations, citizens' service centres have not attracted new population groups to use the Internet.

Data security and complexity of the acquisition stand in the way of acquiring an Internet connection

In comparison with 2004, taking care of data security and complexity of the acquisition of an Internet connection have increased unwillingness to the acquisition. The households that consider the complexity of the acquisition and data security as obstacles are the least enthusiastic about acquiring an Internet connection.

A special report ordered by the Information Society Programme is available in Finnish at: www.tietoyhteiskuntaohjelma.fi/esittely/fi_FI/raportit_ja_selvitykset/

The inquiry concerning internet services provided by public administration is at: www.intermin.fi/juhta.

Further information: Markku Nenonen, General Secretary, Ministry of the Interior, tel. 358 9 160 44304, Katrina Harjuhahto-Madetoja, Programme Director, Information Society Programme, tel. +358 9 160 22363 and Jaana Kaakkola, Specialist in Knowledge Management, Information Society Programme, tel. +358 9 160 24090