22 April 2004

Although the public has overwhelmingly backed Government plans to introduce a national ID card scheme, new research from specialist IT consultancy Detica reveals they are less convinced of its smooth introduction and balk at the idea of paying for it.

Surprisingly, 83% of the 1000 British adults surveyed by MORI stated that they are happy to carry the card with them at all times but nearly half (48%) said they are not prepared to pay anything towards them. With so many people unwilling to pay and only 20% of citizens prepared to pay over £25, the Government may have to re-think current proposals and shelve plans to charge the public around £35.

Martin Sutherland, Head of Public Sector at Detica, said: "There is no doubt that cost is a major issue. The Government seems to have overcome all sorts of hurdles - from 'Big Brother' concerns to acceptance of biometrics - but actually asking people to put their hands in their own pockets doesn't appear to be a vote winner."

Support for ID cards overall is high with 80% of the public saying they are in favour of the proposed national ID card scheme. But, whilst these findings show that the public is largely persuaded of the need for ID cards, the results clearly demonstrate that the Government still have a battle on their hands when it comes to convincing the public that they are capable of successfully implementing complicated and data-sensitive programmes.

The research revealed that nearly six in ten (58%) British adults have little or no confidence that the government can introduce the scheme smoothly, with only 5% stating that they felt very confident that the Government could. In addition more than a third (41%) were also concerned that the Government could not be trusted to hold personal information securely, with just 10% stating that they were very confident of the Government's ability in this area.

"The public's scepticism over a smooth introduction of the cards probably reflects the reality that delivering technically complex programmes successfully is notoriously difficult to achieve. The Government does not have a great track record of making technology work within its original budget estimates, particularly when multiple departments are involved," adds Sutherland.

"The key to success is to keep it simple. The introduction of the card is most likely to work if it is set up exclusively to prove the identity of its holder. Other applications will be best left to third parties".

Technical note: MORI interviewed a sample of 1,000 adults across Britain, aged 16+ between 18 and 23 March 2004, by telephone. Data have been weighted to match the known population profile.

Nick Miles Text 100 Public Relations Tel: +44 (0)208 846 0700 email: