Most French & Germans don't know EU identity wallet

IDnow has published research showing that only one in five consumers in France and Germany clearly understand the European Digital Identity Wallet, while 51% have never heard of it.

The findings are based on a Sapio Research poll of 2,000 adults across the two countries. Another 27% said they had heard of the wallet but were unsure what it does, leaving 20% with what IDnow described as a clear understanding of the system.

The results point to a wide gap in public awareness of the EU-backed digital identity scheme, which is due to be introduced across member states. The wallet is designed to let people prove their identity online and share verified information when using digital services.

IDnow's research suggests awareness is closely linked to confidence in the project. Among respondents familiar with the wallet, 75% said they were confident in a successful rollout, compared with 33% of those who had never heard of it.

That difference suggests public understanding may shape how consumers judge the system's security and effectiveness. Even so, familiarity did not remove broader doubts about how personal information would be handled.

Only 7% of respondents said they had no concerns at all about the wallet. Data protection, security and the risk of misuse remained prominent issues, even among those who understood what the scheme was meant to do.

A separate part of the survey tested reaction to one of the wallet's key features. After being told they could use it to prove something such as being over 18 without sharing their name, address, date of birth or other personal details, 63% said they would be more likely to use it.

The finding suggests selective disclosure could be one of the strongest arguments for adoption. It allows users to reveal only the minimum information required for a transaction rather than handing over a full set of personal details.

Trust questions

Consumer concerns extended beyond privacy. The survey found that 73% feared different systems and services would not work together seamlessly, while 69% were concerned the technology might be too complicated or unreliable.

Those figures underline a practical challenge for governments and service providers as digital identity systems move toward wider public use. Consumers may need convincing not only that the wallet is secure, but that it will work consistently in everyday transactions.

Liudmyla Rabchynska, Director of Global Regulatory & Government Affairs at IDnow, said public communication would be central to whether the wallet gains acceptance.

"A digital wallet can only build trust if people understand the benefits that it brings them. Information and communication will be crucial to the success of the EUDI Wallet in the coming months," Rabchynska said.

The survey points to a broader issue facing digital identity programmes across Europe. Public institutions and technology providers may need to explain not just what these systems are, but why they could reduce the amount of personal data shared online.

For many consumers, the value of a digital identity tool may depend less on digitising existing documents than on whether it offers a simpler way to control data. The response to selective disclosure suggests privacy-related benefits are easier for people to understand than the mechanics of the wider system.

Adoption hurdle

IDnow's figures also suggest that awareness alone may not be enough to secure support. Even among respondents who understood the wallet, questions remained about safeguards, system design and the risk of failure.

Supporters of the programme therefore face two hurdles: raising public awareness of the wallet and addressing concerns about how securely and reliably it will operate in practice.

The research covered 1,000 adults in France and 1,000 in Germany, with respondents selected to be nationally representative by age and gender. The two markets offer an early measure of how consumers in large EU economies are responding to a digital identity framework expected to affect online verification across a wide range of services.

Rabchynska said those concerns were predictable and would need to be addressed directly.

"Concerns about a new digital identity solution are entirely understandable. What matters is that people understand the safeguards behind the EUDI Wallet and the control they retain. That is precisely where the real communication challenge lies," she said.