eco Survey: Majority of Germans Seeking Greater Use of Digital Tools to Combat the Covid-19 Pandemic

For more than a year now, digital technologies and applications have been supporting the economy and society in times of the Covid-19 crisis and have gained great acceptance among the population, according to the results of a representative survey commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry, undertaken in April by the marketing and opinion research institute Civey.*

In the struggle during Corona times, the factors that the German population find particularly useful are digitally supported work in the home office (63.4 percent), contact tracing apps (52.7 percent), the introduction of a digital vaccination card (47.3 percent), and the possibility of distance learning via digital learning platforms – aka homeschooling (42 percent).

However, significantly fewer people consider the use of digital check-in systems for restaurant visits (33.8 per cent) or for events (29.1 per cent) – which are increasingly under discussion – to be worthwhile.

A large proportion of Germans would also be prepared to make greater use of digital applications if they contributed to further steps towards opening up in the future. Almost 70 percent of those surveyed said they would also use the corresponding digital tools.

The high willingness to use digital solutions is evident across all age groups. Among 18 to 29-year-olds, the approval rate is highest at around 74 per cent – followed by the 65+ age group with just under 71 per cent.

Strong endorsement of home office, contact tracing and digital vaccination card

“Without digital tools and solutions, our working and social lives would have been a total failure in the Covid-19 year,” says eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme. “And in the future, digitalisation will also form an important building block in combating the pandemic. A large part of our society also knows this and wants to actively participate – a decidedly positive signal in these times.”

Chair of the eco Board calls for German nationwide strategy for the use of IT solutions

When it comes to a possible end to Covid-19 restrictions, however, Germans are less optimistic. It is true that just under half of those surveyed believe that these could be shortened through the widespread use of digital technologies. But the scepticism among many citizens remains high.

Oliver Süme therefore appeals to politicians not to get lost in the minutiae, but to develop a nationwide strategy for the meaningful use of digital solutions in close cooperation with the IT industry. This is the only way to buffer further consequences of the Covid-19 restrictions for the economy and society and to realistically put possible opening steps in place. Süme: “The technologies needed for this have been available for a long time – now it is up to the politicians to use digital solutions in a targeted manner.”

* On behalf of eco, the market and opinion research institute Civey surveyed approximately 2,500 people between 8 and 9 April 2021. The results are representative of the entire German population. The statistical error of the overall results is between 3.3 and 3.5 percent. Multiple answers were possible for the question, “Which digital applications and solutions do you find make particular sense in the times of the Corona pandemic?”.