Mobile drivers licenses find wide support among U.S. consumers
13 September, 2017
category: Digital ID, Government
Are mobile drivers licenses ready for takeoff, leaving plastic licenses to suffer the same fate as phone booths? A new survey report from MorphoTrust USA and Radius Global Market Research that sought to gauge public attitudes about mobile drivers licenses suggests as much—though it remains unclear when or if those old-fashioned identity cards might in fact disappear so thoroughly that they spark the same nostalgic feelings as the sight of those Superman changing rooms.
80 percent of survey respondents are interested in a mobile drivers license app
The report, complied by an arm of OT-Morpho, a provider of digital security and identification technologies, and Radius Global Market Research, finds that 80 percent of survey respondents are “interested in a mobile drivers license app.” The findings are based on surveys of 4,000 U.S. consumers of varying ages, genders, regions and incomes, says MorphoTrust USA.
The survey also finds that:
- 70% of respondents “are interested in using their mobile phone to renew their drivers license.”
- 64% of millennials respondents “express the highest concept acceptance” of mobile drivers licenses, and would recommend it to a friend.
Mobile drivers license interest follows rise of smartphones
“As smartphones continue to be part of our daily activities, it’s a natural progression that a drivers license or state ID card evolves to meet the changing times and increasing sophistication of U.S. consumers,” says Bob Eckel, president and CEO, MorphoTrust USA. “MorphoTrust is on the forefront of identity security and technology, having launched successful pilot programs for both a mobile drivers license and an electronic identification mobile app. This market research is important for all states, law enforcement agencies and businesses that interact with the public for identity verification.”
According to Pew Research, 77 percent of U.S. consumers now own smartphones, due in part to increasing rates of ownership among low-income households and people aged 50 and older. Smartphones are nearly “ubiquitous” among consumers between the ages of 18 and 29, with 92 percent of them having the devices.
MorphoTrust in 2016 successfully piloted what it calls “the first U.S. mobile drivers license program in partnership with the state of Iowa. According to the company, the test group “used a downloadable iOS mobile app that required identity verification before the MorphoTrust mDL was rendered on the phone. The MorphoTrust mDL app and verification process meet the highest standards for security and protection of personal information.”