Digitalization of administrative work at home

Abstract

Abstract People must perform bureaucratic, administrative work in daily life, such as applying for official documents, concluding contracts, organizing purchases, managing pension plans, etc. This work is time-consuming and unequally distributed in the household. At its best, it is perceived as boring; at its worst, it is mentally and emotionally stressful, leaving people overwhelmed and unable to fulfill their obligations. People can benefit from the digitalization of domestic bureaucracy automating repetitive tasks, reducing mental effort, and saving time for leisure activities. In recent years, there has been a need for more empirical knowledge about the use of technology or the working environment for this purpose. This paper presents insights from an online survey with 617 socio-demographically distributed participants highlighting the devices, tools, special software, and common places people favor for accomplishing these office-like household chores. Our results provide a solid empirical basis that not only quantifies previous qualitative results now using the German adult population but also offers orientation for further in-depth research as well as design.