Biometric identification systems and sustainable public service delivery

Biometric identification systems are increasingly used in public administration to strengthen identity verification and support digital service delivery. This study examines their reported adoption and perceived association with efficiency, transparency, accountability, and long-term sustainability in public service institutions. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, survey data were collected from 480 administrative, managerial, and technical personnel working in biometric-enabled institutions. A one-sample t-test, MANOVA, and Welch’s ANOVA were used to test the hypotheses. Results show that respondents rated biometric system adoption significantly above the neutral benchmark. However, the study did not detect statistically significant differences in perceived efficiency, transparency, or accountability across levels of involvement with biometric systems. It also did not detect statistically significant differences in perceived long-term sustainability across implementation levels. The findings suggest that adoption alone may be insufficient to generate measurable governance or sustainability outcomes without institutional capacity, data governance, accountability safeguards, and regulatory support.