Abstract
The electronic ID function (eID) of the German ID card enables citizens to participate securely in digital business transactions and digital administrative services. A representative population survey from October 2024 shows that 35 % of the adult resident population have activated the eID function, while 6 % are not aware of it at all. Characteristics with statistically significant predictive power for an activated eID are male gender, age under 65, urban place of residence, migration background, children in the household, high school diploma and place of residence in Berlin. The advantages of the system should therefore be communicated in particular to those population groups with a significantly lower usage rate (women, older people, low level of education).