Housing digital services face trust gap, Granicus warns

Granicus has published research showing a gap between public sector housing workers’ confidence in digital services and citizens’ awareness of and trust in those services.

The study surveyed 500 public sector workers and 1,000 UK citizens.

The findings point to a divide between how housing organisations view their progress in digital service delivery and how the public experiences it. Housing professionals reported strong confidence in accessibility, service quality and the use of artificial intelligence, but citizens were less convinced on each measure.

Among housing workers, 80% said their digital services are fully accessible to people with low digital skills or disabilities. Yet 29% of citizens said they had difficulty accessing digital public services over the past year, and 26% said access challenges were still not being addressed.

Views also diverged on whether organisations can meet public expectations in the next few years. Some 62% of housing professionals said they were confident they could deliver the digital services residents expect by 2028, while 42% of citizens disagreed.

The use of AI showed the clearest contrast. More than three-quarters of housing professionals, 76%, said AI-driven services were either fully embedded in their organisation or being trialled and integrated into service delivery. By contrast, 69% of citizens said they were not aware of any public services currently using AI, while 49% said they did not trust or were not comfortable with its use in public services.

Sector contrast

The housing sector stood out from other parts of the public sector in the survey, recording higher confidence than local government, central government and the NHS on several digital measures.

In the NHS, 46% of workers said digital services were fully accessible to people with low digital skills or disabilities. That compared with 56% in local government, 58% in central government and 80% in housing.

Expectations for future delivery also varied. The NHS was the least confident, with 40% of workers saying they could deliver the digital services users expect by 2028. The equivalent figure was 43% in local government, 53% in central government and 62% in housing.

The survey suggests housing has moved faster than other public services in adopting newer digital tools, particularly AI. But it also indicates that internal confidence has not translated into broad public understanding of how those tools are being used.

That matters because digital service reform in housing often affects access to essential services, from repairs and rent queries to complaints and tenant communication. If residents are unaware that AI is being used, or remain uneasy about it, organisations may face questions not only about access but also about transparency and accountability.

Ian Roberts, UK managing director at Granicus, said: “Clearly, the findings reveal a disconnect between how widely artificial intelligence and accessibility are being addressed inside public sector housing. Digital transformation isn’t measured solely by organisational confidence. The real test is whether residents feel the benefits, understand how new technology is being used and trust the services they rely on. Housing’s next challenge is not adopting AI, it’s demonstrating value, transparency and accessibility at scale.”

His comments reflect a wider issue for public bodies as they expand digital channels while trying to maintain trust among users with different levels of online confidence. The data indicates that public awareness has not kept pace with deployment, even in a sector that reports relatively high internal readiness.

Public trust

The trust figures may prove as significant as the accessibility gap. Almost half of citizens surveyed said they did not trust or were uncomfortable with AI in public services, despite evidence from workers that such systems are already being introduced in housing organisations.

For public bodies, that creates a practical problem. Digital tools may improve internal processes or help manage demand, but residents still need to understand how decisions are made and what role technology plays when they seek help or information.

Housing workers otherwise gave positive assessments of their current digital arrangements. Some 72% said they were satisfied with their organisation’s current digital service, reinforcing the picture of a sector that sees itself as relatively advanced compared with other public services.

Roberts said housing was ahead of other sectors in the survey. “Housing is clearly setting the pace for digital transformation. We see stronger leadership alignment, higher AI adoption and greater confidence than any other areas of the public sector we surveyed. The sector has moved beyond asking whether AI should be used. The focus now is ensuring data quality, skills and governance are in place while maintaining public trust.”