More Than a Quarter of Americans Who Choose Not to Use Online Enrollment in Government Benefits Programs Say the Process Looks Too Difficult

TransUnion public sector research finds 39% of consumers spend 15 minutes or more proving identity in online government program applications

CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly eight out of 10 Americans who plan to apply for a government program in the next three years will do so online, according to new research from TransUnion (NYSE: TRU). While current online customer experiences for public sector services are mostly positive, a significant portion of constituents experience hurdles.

The report found 59% of people who enrolled for benefits online said the application process was convenient; however, 21% were not able to complete their application quickly. Among those who have not applied online, more than one in four (27%) said the process looks too difficult.

“Government agencies have made heroic strides over the last several years in improving their online benefits applications processes,” said Jeffrey Huth, senior vice president of TransUnion’s public sector business. “At the same time, private sector businesses have continued to raise the bar for what constituents expect from a high-quality, seamless and secure digital experience. TransUnion’s latest report is aimed at identifying ways for government agencies to close that gap.”

TransUnion conducted its research through a survey of 1,006 adults living in the United States, including U.S. territories, who said they had previously applied for government benefits and/or plan to do so in the next three years. The full findings are available in the report “Reduce Benefit Enrollment Burdens.”

Proving identity and eligibility
One of the main differences in the online application experience was the difficulty in proving identity and eligibility. Constituents indicated their applications were delayed or declined due to not being able to prove their identity or eligibility online at more than double the rate people experienced when applying through other channels, like in person.

Reasons Prior Enrollment Application Was Delayed or Denied

	Had Trouble Understanding the Forms	Couldn’t Provide Required Proof of Eligibility	Couldn’t Provide Required Forms of Identification
Online	11%	8%	7%
Other Channels	6%	3%	3%

Respondents also noted a disconnect between expectations and reality regarding the time required to collect the information needed to verify their identities during online applications. Nearly half (46%) of respondents would prefer to spend less than 10 minutes doing so, but just 37% of respondents with prior online applications indicated their experience met that expectation. The report found almost four in 10 (39%) had spent 15 minutes or more proving their identity.