What Helps Promote Digital Public Services? Experimental Evidence of Digital Identification in Uruguay

Digital public services significantly reduce transaction costs for citizens and service delivery costs for the government, facilitating access to benefits and rights and enabling the fulfillment of obligations. However, promoting the adoption of these services by highlighting their availability and benefits remains a universal challenge for governments. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of three promotional channelsSMS messages, WhatsApp, and phone callsin raising awareness and increasing adoption of a service that can generate significant potential savings for citizens: a digital identification. This ID enables secure online authentication with the same legal validity as in-person verification and, as such, serves as a key enabler for full access to digital public services, thereby reducing costs for citizens. We conducted a field experiment with a sample of 15,000 individuals in Uruguay. We found that phone calls and WhatsApp messages were effective in raising awareness about digital identity, with WhatsApp emerging as the most cost-effective channel. However, none of the channels assessed led to a meaningful change in the adoption or use of the service. We believe that this gap between awareness and action can be attributed to two key factors: (i) high transaction costswhether perceived or actualassociated with obtaining digital identification, and (ii) citizens confusion regarding the various digital identification options available.