1st Digitalisation Barometer, prepared by Línea Directa: citizens save one week of time per year and €2,140 through digital transactions

• Spaniards carry out an average of 5.4 transactions per week with retailers, banks, insurers and public administrations via websites and mobile applications, with a perceived average saving of 38 minutes per transaction compared with doing them in person.
• A digital nation: 95% of citizens carry out online transactions every week. Mobile is king: 91% use a smartphone to complete all kinds of transactions, compared with 70% who use a computer. The profile of the homo digitalis: aged between 35 and 54 and living in a large city.
• The most common transactions are searching for information before making a purchase (87%), online banking (85%) and tracking an order (84%). In addition, three out of four Spaniards already carry out digital transactions with their insurer: the most common are checking their policy, filing a claim and tracking a claim.

Madrid, 21 October 2026. Grocery shopping, comparing products, making a bank transfer, requesting a medical appointment, managing an insurance claim or carrying out an administrative procedure... are just a few examples of the small tasks that form part of our daily routine. Just as small expenses, the so-called “hidden costs”, take a share of our budget, these “micro-transactions” take a share of our available time.

Digital innovation has become an ally and has changed the way millions of people manage their everyday lives, becoming an option that saves time, reduces travel and adds convenience when completing tasks that only a few years ago required in-person attention.

According to the 1st Digitalisation Barometer, prepared by Línea Directa, citizens estimate that carrying out their everyday transactions with retailers, banks, insurers and Public Administration through digital channels allows them to save 177 hours per year, equivalent to more than a full week, and around €2,140.

The study, carried out by Línea Directa Aseguradora in collaboration with Neovantas, confirms the high level of digital maturity reached by Spanish society. In this regard, the report confirms that 95% of citizens already carry out some type of online transaction every week and 7 out of 10 perceive clear advantages in using this channel, primarily time savings, something essential in resolving so-called “micro-transactions”, recurring procedures across a wide range of sectors.

In these transactions, the mobile phone is “the king of digital transactions”, as 91% use a smartphone for this purpose, compared with 70% who use a computer. Among the most common transactions are searching for information before purchasing (87%), carrying out specific online banking transactions (85%) and tracking an order (84%), among others.

Analysis by Sector

The Línea Directa study examines the relationship with digitalisation in four specific sectors: retail, banking, insurance and Public Administration.

Respondents state that they carry out an average of 5.4 digital transactions per week across these four areas. The analysis shows that the banking sector (39.4 minutes) and the insurance sector (38.7 minutes) are the sectors where citizens perceive the greatest time savings when digitalising their most common transactions, while in Public Administration and retail those savings amount to 38 and 32.6 minutes respectively. Overall, the average time saving is 38 minutes per transaction.

When this time saving is translated into the amount of money citizens would be willing to pay for it (see methodology note), differences between sectors also emerge. Banking leads the ranking with an average saving of €88.5 per month, followed by insurance (€33), retail (€29.6) and Public Administration (€27.2).

By transaction type, in banking, a deeply transactional sector, checking account activity and balances predominates (94%); in Public Administration, specific procedures stand out, such as booking appointments or filing income tax returns, while in the retail sector usage is closely linked to purchasing (86%).

With regard to the insurance sector, three out of four Spaniards (77%) already carry out digital transactions with their insurer. The most common are checking their policy (48%), filing a claim (38%) and tracking a claim (36%). By line of business, health insurance reaches 17.7% regular usage, almost double that of home insurance (9.8%) and motor insurance (9.3%).

What policyholders value most is knowing that a professional is available if the situation requires it.

By Autonomous Community

Perceived savings also depend on place of residence. While the Spanish average stands at 177 hours per year, the figure varies considerably between regions. The Canary Islands top the ranking with almost 257 hours per year, 80 more than the national average, followed by Catalonia (226.5 hours) and the Valencian Community (198 hours). At the other end of the scale are Castile and León (108.6 hours), Galicia (101.8 hours) and Asturias (101 hours), the three regions with the highest proportion of residents aged over 65, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE).

Security: A Key Issue for Users

When it comes to the most valued attributes in digital transactions, Spaniards appear to have no doubts, as the three most frequently cited attributes (reliability of personal credentials, receiving alerts when a problem arises, and confidentiality of information) are all related to security. Conversely, the report shows that the main barriers to usage are associated with handling incidents, as only half of respondents know how to resolve a problem.

The barometer also reflects the impact of AI. 82% acknowledge having used some form of artificial intelligence tool, although most do so occasionally and only 13% use them daily. Overall perceptions of its use are positive, but reservations remain: 37% of citizens believe it requires regulation and oversight, a figure that rises to 51% among daily users. In addition, one in four (23%) fears its malicious use, while 17% demand human involvement in the most sensitive processes.

The Profile of the Homo Digitalis

The profile of the homo digitalis is that of a citizen aged 35 to 54 (68% digital preference), living in a large city (more than 250,000 inhabitants), and seeking time savings, convenience and control over their transactions. This contrasts with the reality of young people aged 18 to 24, who perceive lower savings than other groups, being digital natives and having less comparative experience with in-person channels.

Another interesting aspect of the Línea Directa analysis is the gradual decline in digital channel preference from the age of 55 onwards, reaching its lowest level among those aged over 75, an age group with only 37% inclination towards digital channels, 31 percentage points below middle-aged citizens.

Digitalisation Barometer Methodology