En route to “zero bureaucracy and invisible government”: a conjoint analysis of the effects of transforming the state-citizen interface on the favourability of public administration in the digital era

Governments around the world have introduced or are considering the introduction of one-stop service, proactive service, virtual service, and service based on the once-only principle to reduce or eliminate administrative burden and state-citizen interactions. Against this backdrop, this study, based on an online conjoint experiment conducted in Japan, investigates the effects of transitioning to these services on the favourability of public administration, as perceived by potential service users, and whether these effects depend on socio-demographic characteristics. The results show that these services, especially the one based on the once-only principle, are generally welcome; even the elderly and people who lack confidence in their digital literacy would prefer to see a transition to virtual service if physical service counters would be still available in tandem. Certain groups of individuals do not favour the transition to a virtual service without such a parallel arrangement. This study provides nuanced findings that can inform an inclusive and user-centric transformation of state-citizen interfaces.