Analyzing the Impact of Digital Literacy and Security on DigiLocker Adoption in India

Abstract

DigiLocker, which is one of the flagship initiatives under Digital India, is aimed at providing a platform for citizens to be able to store, access and authenticate official documents in a secure, paperless way. Despite all the transformation, adoption of DigiLocker has not been significant due to constraints like low digital literacy, security concerns, and usability issues. The study, therefore, seeks to investigate the level of awareness and use of DigiLocker among Indian citizens, barriers to its adoption, and provide recommendations to improve its use. A descriptive research design, which involved administering a structured questionnaire to 101 respondents drawn from a wide range of categories including students, employees, and professional groups, has been used in the study. While a good number of citizens know about DigiLocker, the study also shows that a sizable part of the populace does not use the technology on grounds like not trusting the platform, being unfamiliar with digital tools, as well as fear regarding data breach. T-tests and ANOVA statistical analysis established that user satisfaction differs significantly among registered users of DigiLocker and unregistered ones, with the former enjoying higher satisfaction levels. Satisfaction differed with the frequency of use at which the regular users expressed better experience while occasional users were not satisfied. Furthermore, a Chi-square test indicated that security concerns do not significantly determine use of DigiLocker for official verification, implying that other influencing factors could include digital competency and user experience. The study, therefore, recommends well-targeted digital literacy campaigns, strengthened cyber-security protocols, an even better user interface, and enhanced inter-linking with government and private sector services for better uptake. All these will allow DigiLocker to realize its potential as a key enabler of e-governance in making India more digitally empowered and inclusive.