Making public concerns tangible: An empirical study of German and UK citizens’ perception of data protection and data security

Abstract

Digitisation processes in the public sector have led to an increase in innovative approaches for better service delivery using information and communication technology. Citizens, however, often have reservations towards e-government efforts due to concerns regarding data protection (DP) and data security (DS). This article is based on a mixed-methods design consisting of a media analysis and an online survey of 1000 respondents from the UK and Germany, which investigates the conception of DP and DS from the citizens’ point of view. Results demonstrate that citizens do not fully understand the terminology used in newspaper articles concerning DP and DS. Moreover, findings show that DP and DS are of great importance to citizens. However, the perceived relevance of DP and DS varies between services, being strongest for online banking. Compared to the German citizens surveyed, the UK citizens displayed greater concerns about disclosing personal data online. Despite some differences, however, findings across both samples indicate a common lack of understanding of the two concepts DP and DS. The resulting citizen concept of DP and DS can help to mediate between politics, technology and the public in the discourse of e-government initiatives and the requirements for DP and DS. We argue that citizens’ understanding of DP and DS is a prerequisite for governments to adequately address citizens’ concerns regarding e-government initiatives.