Press release
In-Depth Customer Survey Finds Strong Satisfaction with Public Services Card (PSC) February
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
Large majority believe they should have the option to offer their PSC as proof of identity
The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection today (Friday 1 March 2019) published the findings of a Customer Survey on the Public Services Card (PSC). The survey, which looked at customer satisfaction around the processes and procedures involved in applying for a PSC, was undertaken independently on behalf of the Department by W5, specialists in customer experience consultancy. A representative sample of 1,001 PSC holders, in terms of age and gender, were interviewed in December 2018.
Acknowledging the results of the survey, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D., said:
“The results of the survey are very positive and show strong support for the Public Services Card and very high levels of customer satisfaction with the information provided and the processes involved in applying for a Public Services Card. The results also show that people welcome and support the sharing of identity information between public bodies because it makes their life easier when they are applying for public services - which is one of the main reasons why we invested in the Public Services Card.”
The results show that 96% of PSC holders surveyed were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the process. In addition, the survey found that:
A full copy of the report can be accessed here
ENDS
Notes for editors
The purpose of the identity registration process, known as SAFE level 2, is to verify a person’s identity to a substantial level of assurance. This is a necessary step when providing access to valuable state services, including the income supports provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP). A Public Services Card (PSC) may issue when a person's identity is verified to SAFE 2 standard.
A PSC enables individuals to gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort while, at the same time, preserving their privacy to the maximum extent possible. To date, over 3.7 million PSCs have been issued by the Department.
For this survey, the Department took a stratified random sample of everyone who had been issued a PSC in September 2018. This sampling method ensures that the resulting sample reflects key population distributions, which in this case, was everyone aged over 18 who received a PSC in September 2018. The population was stratified by sex and age band (18-24, 25-39, 40-59, 60+), and then randomly sampled. In total, 5,000 people were in the random sample and 1,001 people took part in the survey.
An invite letter was sent to everyone selected to take part in the survey. The letter outlined that participation is entirely voluntary, and that their answers, participation, or refusal to participate, cannot and will not affect any services or payments the customer might avail of. Amongst other things, the contact letter also outlined how and why they were selected to take part, details of the company commissioned to conduct the survey, and channels for customer queries regarding the survey.
The survey was undertaken independently on behalf of the Department by W5, specialists in customer experience consultancy via telephone interviews. The questions measured satisfaction with the process of undergoing SAFE authentication and how customers may use their PSC and customer understandings of the SAFE authentication process.