Digitalization of Public Administration and Its Impact on Institutional Transparency, Administrative Efficiency, and Citizen Trust: An Empirical Study on the Perceptions of Future Legal Professionals

Abstract

The adoption of EU Regulation 679/2016 on the protection of personal data has redefined the relationship between citizens and digital public administration, imposing a new legal and administrative framework for analysis. Against this backdrop, the present study examines the perceptions of young Romanian legal professionals regarding the digitalization of public administration and its correlation with personal data protection standards established by the aforementioned regulation. The research draws on a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 141 law students, examining their awareness of data protection rights, their use of public digital platforms, their assessment of digitalization-related risks, and their attitudes toward the transparency of public institutions. The findings reveal that the overwhelming majority of respondents (97.1%) view digitalization as a viable alternative to traditional administrative processes, while simultaneously acknowledging substantial barriers to its effective implementation, namely inadequate technological infrastructure (39.3%) and insufficient digital competencies among civil servants (29.3%). Respondents further express notable concerns regarding personal data security (55.4%) and growing digital inequality (78.6%), reflecting a growing awareness of fundamental rights in the digital environment. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the intersection between administrative law, digital law, and the protection of fundamental citizens’ rights, offering evidence-based insights relevant to both academic debate and public policy design in the Romanian and European context.