Research and analysis

GOV.UK One Login user segmentation survey summary

Published 19 September 2024

Why a user segmentation survey

Since GOV.UK One Login launched in 2021, it has confirmed the identities of over 3.9 million people. 

We need to make sure GOV.UK One Login can be used by as many people as possible. 

We want to find and understand any barriers they face so that we can design ways to help more people use our service.

A user segmentation survey is a way to look at shared characteristics and barriers.

We commissioned our quantitative survey in 2023 to understand more about barriers we know affect our users, such as:

• access to technology
• access to identity documents
• level of digital skill

How we handled responses to the survey

2,000 users took part in the survey. We’ll refer to these users as ‘survey respondents’ throughout this report. Their answers were weighted to be representative of UK population demographics.

All survey answers are self-reported and therefore open to respondents’ interpretations of the questions. However, given that an important aim of the survey was to understand barriers to access the service, respondents’ perception and interpretation can offer valuable insights in that respect. 

When it was important to derive more factual information, we combined answers from different questions to minimise the impact of personal interpretation.

Health warnings

There are a few caveats to these findings.

1. This is a complex data set with lots of room for misinterpretation. It therefore needs to be handled with care.

2. What we are reporting now is just the start. There is a lot more detailed analysis we have done and plan to do.

3. The analysis is driven by a set of assumptions that underpin our product and have been used to interpret the data. We might find we need to adjust the analysis if these assumptions change.

4. Survey data is mostly about perception. Our respondents’ perception is important when it comes to analysing survey data. If users perceive something as a barrier chances are they will not use the service, even if the barrier is not exactly as they perceive it.  

5. This is a snapshot in time. The survey ran between August and September 2023.

Headline results by our 4 pillars of analysis

The analysis was done through 4 pillars or aspects of the service:

1. Access to identity evidence outlined in Good Practice Guide (GPG) 45: How to prove and verify someone’s identity. For example, a passport or driving licence.

2. Access to technology needed to go through user journeys. For example, a smartphone, wifi or reliable phone signal.

3. Evidence of a UK data footprint. For example, credit or government records.

4. Capability including, digital skills and vulnerabilities.

This analysis included a ranking of the most common pairings of the items from each of the pillars.

Pillar 1: identity evidence

Evidence requirements for identity proving. This section outlines respondents’ access to evidence required for identity verification according to GPG 45. 

Identity evidence can include a photo (passport, driving licence) or not (UK birth or adoption certificate). This evidence can be used to get either low or medium confidence in someone’s identity.

We found that:

• 92% of respondents have photo ID sufficient for medium confidence
• 94% of respondents have photo ID sufficient for low confidence
• 91% of respondents have non-photo ID suitable for medium confidence
• 96% of respondents have non-photo ID suitable for low confidence

Please note this is not the number of people that can get through our journey, this is a single data point.

Pillar 2: access to technology

Access to technology for identity proving. This section outlines the extent of respondents’ access to suitable technology and the percentage of users who would be able to use different service route.

We found that:

• 63% of respondents could use the browser journey
• 92% of respondents could prove their identity in person at a Post Office
• 49% of respondents could use the GOV.UK ID Check app
• 78% of respondents have access to a stable internet connection
• 80% of respondents have access to a phone number
• 88% of respondents have access to a mobile phone with a working camera and with ability to download apps

Please note this is not the number of people that can get through our journey, this is a single data point.

Pillar 3: UK data footprint

Access to UK data footprint. This section looks at how many respondents have the financial and government records (such as credit card history or tax returns) needed to use some of the service routes. Typically access to those routes would require 2 or more sources of data.

We found that:

• 43% of respondents have 2 or more sources within credit footprint
• 32% of respondents have 2 or more sources within HMRC footprint
• 23% of respondents have 2 or more sources within DWP footprint
• 79% of respondents have overall 2 or more sources within any of HMRC, credit or DWP
• 12% (6.9 million) of users have 1 source within any credit, DWP or HMRC datasets
• 9% (5.1 million) of users have no datasets at all

Please note this is not the number of people that can get through our journey, this is a single data point.

Pillar 4: capability

Requirements related to the respondents’ attitudes, knowledge and vulnerabilities. This includes digital skills and need for assistive technologies (such as screen magnification, an adaptive keyboard or speech-to-text software).

We found that:

• 14% of respondents reported assistive tech needs
• 25% of respondents reported difficulty carrying out online tasks, such as filling in forms, shopping online or paying bills on their own
• 71% of respondents who reported difficulties also reported that they have access to help and support from friends or family to help do things online

Please note this is not the number of people that can get through our journey, this is a single data point.

Areas of opportunity

1. Address the digitally excluded.
2. Remove authentication barriers.
3. Remove barriers to using the app.
4. Remove barriers to proving identity in person at a Post Office.
5. Remove barriers to answering knowledge-based verification (KBV) questions.
6. Allow users to get help from people they know and trust.
7. Support 13 to 17 year olds.
8. Improve the accessibility of GOV.UK One Login.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the scope and output of this survey, please contact:

Helena Trippe
Head of UCD, GOV.UK One Login
helena.trippe@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk

Pablo Romero
User Research Lead, GOV.UK One Login
pablo.romero@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk