Digital Emergency Response, Process Reforms and Social Well-being in India: An Empirical Evaluation of ERSS/Dial 112 Under the Ease-of-living Framework
Mixed-methods evaluation demonstrates improved citizen satisfaction and perceived ease of living, suggesting digital emergency systems strengthen institutional trust.
Key Points
To evaluate the impact of India's Emergency Response Support System (ERSS/Dial 112) on citizen satisfaction, perceived safety, and ease of living through digital process reforms.
Mixed-methods evaluation combining primary citizen opinion surveys with a case study of Dial 112 implementation in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Assessed service quality across key dimensions (responsiveness, assurance, awareness, and reliability) using mean ratings.
Conducted regression analysis to determine the predictors of perceived ease of living (EoL).
Mean satisfaction ratings were high across all service dimensions: responsiveness (M = 4.30), assurance (M = 4.24), awareness (M = 4.23), and reliability (M = 4.22), with 85.9% of respondents agreeing emergency calls were answered promptly.
Regression modeling demonstrated that perceived ease of living was significantly predicted by responsiveness (β = 0.31, p < .001), assurance (β = 0.26, p < .001), and reliability (β = 0.18, p < .001), explaining substantial variance (R² = 0.69).