E-Government Survey 2023 shows that 91% of municipalities offer at least one online service to citizens

Survey by CGI.br, released this Monday (17th), reveals challenges for the integration of access to public services via Internet

In 2023, 91% of Brazilian municipalities provided at least one online service to citizens, according to the new edition of the E-Government Survey, released this Monday (17th) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br). Ten years earlier, when the survey was first conducted, the proportion was 75%, indicating that over a decade, there was significant progress in the digitization process of public services at the municipal level.

The survey, conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), also showed that among the municipalities with websites (which correspond to 92% of the total), the service “scheduling appointments for consultations, services, among others” was the least mentioned (33%). “Downloading documents or forms” was the most cited, being offered by 89% of them, a 20 percentage point increase compared to 2013. In second place was the issuance of electronic invoices (83% in 2023 compared to 38% in 2013), followed by “issuance of tax slips or other payment guides” (70% compared to 25%).

While the majority (94%) of municipalities in areas with more than 500,000 inhabitants offered five or more types of online services surveyed in 2023, this was a reality for just over half (56%) of municipalities with up to 10,000 inhabitants.

“The study identified a lower offering of public services via the website among smaller municipalities. Understanding this difference in service provision between different city sizes is essential to identify the needs of these municipalities as they develop their digital government initiatives,” explains Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.

Digital contacts for public service requests
Although municipalities have increased citizen services via the Internet, the telephone is still the most available form of contact provided by municipal governments for public service requests (85%). The survey also reveals that between 2021 and 2023, there was growth in the use of digital contact means for this purpose. The use of WhatsApp or Telegram as a channel for citizens to request public services rose from 48% to 56% in this period; on the official website, from 46% to 52%; and through municipal mobile apps, from 17% to 20%.

Free public Wi-Fi
For the first time, the survey indicated that more than half of the municipalities provided free Wi-Fi connection in public areas of the municipalities, such as squares and parks, rising from 48% in 2021 to 54% in 2023. This type of initiative was more frequent in capitals (79%) and in cities with 100,000 to 500,000 inhabitants (66%) and more than 500,000 residents (80%).

Meanwhile, the availability of free public access centers, such as telecenters – which in the past were important access spaces to the network – has been declining. In 2015, when the indicator was first measured, this space was provided by 72% of municipalities. In 2023, it was mentioned by less than half of the municipalities nationwide (45%).

Lack of integration
More than half (52%) of federal public bodies and 31% of state bodies stated that it is necessary to log in or register to access some digital service – an unprecedented indicator in the survey. Among the total number of federal bodies from the Executive, Judiciary, Legislature, and Public Ministry, the most mentioned types of registration were the login system of the public body itself (42%) and the federal government's Gov.br platform (32%). At the state level, the most cited were the registration system of the public body itself (25%), the state government registration system (14%), and the Gov.br platform (12%).

The lack of integration between digital services can mean a barrier to the use of digital government, as the need for different registrations can hinder access to online public services, especially for Brazilians with less digital skills. “Currently, there are initiatives that seek to change this reality, creating a single path for citizens to access the services they need, either in the same sphere or even between levels of government,” explains Manuella Ribeiro, coordinator of the E-Government Survey.

At the municipal level, 49% of municipalities said they require citizens to log in or register to access any online service, being more frequent in cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants (78%) than in those with a population of up to 10,000 (44%). The adoption of the municipality's own registration or login system (40%) was the most mentioned among Brazilian cities, followed by the Gov.br platform (13%).

Presence on social networks
In the case of federal and state bodies, 99% and 93%, respectively, said they had their own profile or account on social networks last year. Instagram or Flickr (89%), Facebook (72%), YouTube or Vimeo (67%), and WhatsApp or Telegram (52%) were the platforms most cited by both government levels. For the first time, TikTok was measured separately, being mentioned by 29% of federal bodies and 12% of state bodies. The survey points to a greater diversification of social media presence at the federal level: 87% of federal bodies and 60% of state bodies had profiles on four or more social networks.

The survey showed that 95% of municipalities had their own profile or account on social networks, with growth especially among those in municipalities with up to 10,000 inhabitants – from 91% in 2021, rising to 94% in 2023. Facebook (86%), Instagram or Flickr (83%), and WhatsApp or Telegram (53%) were the most mentioned. TikTok was the network mentioned by 4% of municipalities, being more present in municipalities with more than 500,000 inhabitants (15%).

In 2023, most municipalities had profiles on two or three social networks (55%). The study revealed that the larger the city, the greater the proportion of those present on four or more networks, reaching 60% among those with a population of 100,000 to 500,000 inhabitants and 70% in those with more than 500,000 residents.

Emerging technologies
In 2023, there was an increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence (from 24% in 2021 to 30% in 2023) and the Internet of Things (from 18% to 27%) among federal and state public bodies, while observing stability in the adoption of Blockchain (from 13% to 15%). AI was the technology whose use showed the greatest difference between government levels. While approximately half of federal agencies (49%) adopted this type of technology, less than a third of state agencies (28%) reported this use.

Among the reasons mentioned for not using Artificial Intelligence, the lack of qualified people in the public body was the most cited at the federal level (34%), followed by it not being a priority for the body (25%). Among state agencies, the main reasons for not using AI were: it not being a priority for the body (35%), lack of skilled human resources to use AI (32%), incompatibility with existing technologies (32%), difficulties with data availability or quality required (31%), and lack of need or interest (31%).

Further on the use of Artificial Intelligence, the survey indicated that the Judiciary bodies are those that most adopt the technology: in 2023, 68% of agencies linked to it used AI applications. The Judiciary also led in promoting AI training for IT employees (80%), compared to the Legislature (58%), Public Ministry (52%), and Executive (25%).

About the survey

Conducted every two years, the E-Government Survey presents indicators to monitor the development of digital government in Brazil. In its 6th edition, the survey conducted telephone interviews with 677 federal and state public agencies from the Executive, Legislative, Judiciary, and Public Ministry branches, and 4,265 municipalities, between July 2023 and February 2024.

The full list of indicators can be viewed at https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/governo-eletronico/indicadores/. To review the survey launch, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AljveeZyuiE.

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), part of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on Internet access and use in Brazil, regularly disseminating analyses and information on the network's development in the country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Study Center under the auspices of UNESCO and will mark 19 years of activity in 2024. More information at https://cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity in charge of operating the .br domain, as well as distributing IP numbers and registering Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee - CGI.br since 2005, and all resources collected come from activities that are essentially private in nature. It conducts actions and projects that benefit the Internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes: Registro.br (https://registro.br/), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br/), in addition to projects such as Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br/) and the Good Practices for Internet Portal in Brazil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also hosts the W3C São Paulo Chapter office (https://w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model praised internationally, where all sectors of society participate equally in its decisions. One of its formulations are the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information at https://cgi.br/.

Press Contacts – NIC.br:

Weber Shandwick
https://webershandwick.com.br/
PABX: (11) 3027-0200 / 3531-4950
Milena Oliveira - moliveira@webershandwick.com

Communication Advisory – NIC.br
Carolina Carvalho - Communication Manager - carolcarvalho@nic.br
Ana Nascimento - Communication Coordinator – ananascimento@nic.br

Flickr: https://flickr.com/NICbr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/comuNICbr/
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LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/nic-br/
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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.