Perceptions, Satisfaction, and Trust Perceptions, Satisfaction, and Trust For a minority, Aadhaar has provided first-time access to identification and services 2.4 Perceptions, Satisfaction, and Trust Broad acceptance of Aadhaar is all the more important for people A majority of residents say they benefit from Aadhaar. For a minority, Most people trust the Aadhaar system to protect their who got Aadhaar as their first form of ID, especially third-gender Aadhaar has given them first-time access to identification—and data and their welfare benefits. However, a minority residents (Aadhaar is the first ID for 14%), homeless people (15%), and subsequently to services such as bank accounts, SIM cards or PDS worries about the potential misuse of their Aadhaar, women (9%).52 Many of them went on to access services such as bank rations. For most residents, the fact that Aadhaar is universally and 2% of people have experienced fraud that they accounts, SIM cards or PDS rations for the first time (see Figure 14).53 accepted makes their lives easier. However, Aadhaar’s most widely see as being related to Aadhaar, diminishing their trust. perceived benefit is also its greatest challenge: the same residents Figure 14: Share of people who used Aadhaar to gain who appreciate Aadhaar’s universality worry about the risks that An overwhelming majority are satisfied with Aadhaar - access to a service for the first time come with linking all services to a single ID. even if they have had a difficult experience. % of respondents for whom Aadhaar is the first ID Most people have experienced clear benefits from Aadhaar. For the majority, the main benefit is the convenience of having a single, universally accepted ID. Most people said they were benefiting directly from Aadhaar: 75% of people felt it had improved their lives. People especially appreciated that Aadhaar is universally accepted as proof of identity and/or address—a single ID that covers everything (72% of people considered this one of Aadhaar’s top benefits; see Figure 13). Figure 13: Benefits and challenges of Aadhaar that are perceived as most important % of respondents51 Benefits Challenges People who mentioned both stories behind the data "I carry my Aadhaar card everywhere, so that I can show it if someone stops me at night.” Shahid, Plumber, Maharashtra “Aadhaar is like a heart. It should keep working for as long as we are alive. With it we can access all services and without it none.” Chandrakala, Tailor, Karnataka However, many people recognise the ways in which Aadhaar’s universality is both a benefit and a risk— and some people find Aadhaar inconvenient For the people we spoke to who were marginalised in terms of religion, gender identity (e.g. third gender), or socio-economic status, having an Aadhaar card provided a psychological sense of security and comfort. This perception held true both for individuals who had an Aadhaar card, like Shahid, but also for those who had not been able to get one. For those who Residents’ views were nuanced. One-fourth (28%) of residents considered Aadhaar’s ubiquity to be both a benefit and a concern. experienced failed attempts to enrol, the status of Aadhaar as a safeguard motivated them to One-third (31%) worried about tying many services to one ID—and the potential of losing access to all at once—even as they continue attempts at enrolment and to secure their future benefits, like rations and subsidies. appreciated that Aadhaar provides access to services (see figure 13). Source: SoA Human Centred Design Research 2019 Not everyone saw Aadhaar as convenient: some (24%) saw Aadhaar as one more document to provide—another bureaucratic hurdle in addition to the other documentation required to access their services. 51. 52. 53. 21 We asked respondents two questions: (1) What are the benefits with Aadhaar that matter most to you? Please list up to three. (2) What are the challenges with Aadhaar that matter most to you? Please list up to three. By comparison, Aadhaar was the first ID for 6% of men. It is not possible to know whether people who used Aadhaar to get first-time access to a service would 22