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Who uses e-government?: examining the digital divide in e-government use

Published: 26 September 2011 Publication History

Abstract

This empirical study examines the digital divide in e-government adoption and profiles e-government users, by analyzing the data from the national random-sampled survey that the Pew Internet and American Life Project conducted via telephone interviews on American citizens in 2009. The path analysis suggests four main findings. First, socio-demographic conditions strongly matter for e-government use. Younger generations and socioeconomically advantaged people use e-government more than their counterparts. Second, perceived usefulness of e-government contributes to actual use of e-government. Third, the effect of trust in government on e-government adoption is indirect through perceived usefulness rather than directly causal. Those with higher levels of trust in overall government would likely perceive value of e-government, and then those who perceive potential benefits from using e-government adopt e-government. Last, Internet use intensity is highly associated with e-government use intensity.

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    cover image ACM Other conferences
    ICEGOV '11: Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance
    September 2011
    400 pages
    ISBN:9781450307468
    DOI:10.1145/2072069
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    Published: 26 September 2011

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    1. digital divide
    2. e-government
    3. perceived usefulness
    4. technology acceptance
    5. trust in government
    6. usage divide

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