Acceptance and Use of the National Digital Identity System in Indonesia

Abstract

National digital identity systems increasingly enable access to public and private services, but their effective use depends not only on technological infrastructure but also on whether users perceive national digital ID as useful and easy to use. This paper examines the acceptance and actual use of Indonesia’s national digital ID “e-KTP” through an Extended Technology Acceptance Model. Drawing on a nationally representative mixed-methods study of 1,565 households across five major island groups in Indonesia, the study examines how perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, institutional trust, regulatory awareness, social acceptance, and mandatory adoption shape users’ attitudes, behavioral intention, and actual use of the e-KTP. The findings show that the e-KTP has become a trusted and widely accepted identity because it is familiar, reliable, and consistently recognized across public and private service points. Institutional trust emerges as the strongest factor shaping users’ attitudes toward e-KTP and predictability of acceptance of e-KTP by service providers is driving the actual use. An increase in resident’s awareness of redressal mechanisms and safeguards may increase the use of the e-KTP for private-sector services. The transition from identity coverage to trusted online use depends on institutional credibility, consistent service acceptance, user awareness of safeguards, and robust data governance.