From the study of the λλ5876, 7065 and 10830 He I line intensities in NGC 6572, NGC 6803, NGC 7009, NGC 7027, NGC 7662 and IC 418, it is found that the I(10830)/I(5876) ratio is weaker than expected. By considering estimates of the optical depth at λ10830 due to dust absorption and by determining the optical depth at λ10830 due to atomic absorption, it is argued that dust absorption of λ(10830) photons is not the cause for the low I(10830)/I(5876) ratios. By assuming that the 23S He0 state is depopulated only by radiative transitions to the 11S state and by triplet-singlet exchange collisions, it is found that its population is about a factor of two smaller than expected. This result is in agreement with a previous study of the λ3889, 4472, 5876, 6678 and 7065 line intensities in a group of thirteen Type I planetary nebulae. One of the main implications of the underpopulation of the 23S level is that the collisional effects in the N(He)/N(H) abundance ratios of planetary nebulae and 0-poor extragalactic H II regions are smaller than previously thought.