Romanians' online interaction with authorities is the worst in the EU

Written By Lighthouse Team

84% of Romanians do not interact with authorities online

The share of Romanians who, in 2023, interacted online with authorities or public services for personal purposes was below 16%, while the European average is 60%. With this participation rate, Romania ranks last in Europe, below Bosnia Herzegovina. At the same time, Romania has dropped two places in the United Nations ranking of e-government development since 2020, when it was ranked 55th out of 193 member states.

Public Institutions are unable to effectively communicate

According to an analysis by Lighthouse PR, these data reflect one of the major gaps in public communication in Romania: the inability of public institutions to strengthen the relationship with the citizen by using their electronic tools. At the same time, the lack of clarity and structure of information not integrated in an institutional communication strategy, which takes advantage of the most used information channels, makes the public domain vulnerable to misinformation.

"Effective public communication in Romania is still blocked by outdated standards and the initiative in this field is hampered by an excess of bureaucratic procedures. Beyond the technical component, which has become the preferred justification for everything that doesn't work out, the lack of strategic thinking and ownership is what keeps public communication unconvincing and inconsistent. says Mihaela Gidei, Head of Media Relations at Lighthouse PR.

There is a public outcry for clear, concise information from the authorities.

Crisis situations, including recent ones, are leading to a substantial increase in public interest in clear information to help users. This is also leading to an increase in the rate of use of the internet platforms that public institutions in Romania have. An analysis in Google Trends on the words "Romanian government", "Ministry of Health", "covid vaccines", and "vaccine adverse effects" shows a significant increase in public interest in information targeting these institutions or topics at key moments of the Covid pandemic.

Thus, in March 2020, when the pandemic was beginning to claim its first victims in Romania, searches for the words "Romanian government" and "ministry of health" reached a ten-year high (see the below graphs). A new peak was reached in October 2021, in the fourth pandemic wave, after the emergence of the Delta variant. These data confirm the public interest in transparent communication by public authorities, whose role becomes essential in major crisis situations that can lead to decision-making paralysis and increase misinformation.

Opinion Polls show that Romanians hate Politics

"Opinion polls show that Romanians hate politics and are not satisfied with the way politicians perform their duties. As a result, public institutions are not credible either, being perceived as dysfunctional and corrupt. These alarm signals must lead to responsible and professional public communication policies, focused on the real needs of communities, not on political needs with electoral stakes", says Cosmina Croitoru. Digital communication tools, such as user-friendly websites or online platforms for public services, need to be included in strategies with clear objectives, validated by performance measurement and analysis.

About e-government

E-government is the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to government functions and procedures, to increase efficiency, transparency, and citizen participation. By 2030, the degree of digitization of the Romanian state should reach 100%, according to the Digital Compass - the European Union's digitization strategy.

About Lighthouse PR

Lighthouse PR is a Romanian strategic consulting company in PR, marketing, training and business consulting, active in the fields of finance, technology, pharma, energy, retail & FMCG, industry, real estate and construction materials. Founded in 2018 by Ana Maria and Steve Gardiner, The company specialises in the development and implementation of 360 communication strategies for companies, prevention and management of crisis situations, employer branding, training, and business consulting.

Sources:

Lighthouse Team
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