Adoption of e-government: a study on the role of trust

Abstract This study analyzed the influence of trust and trustworthiness on the intention to adopt and use e-government services. A structural model was proposed, considering the relationship among Ability, Benevolence, Integrity, Perceived Risk, Trust of the Government, Trust of the Internet and Disposition to Trust. The model was tested through structural equation modeling (partial least square method). An online questionnaire was applied, including 36 items for all the constructs presented in the model, and measured with 11-point Likert scales. After the first round of analysis, an alternative model was proposed with a better fit. Results indicated that: 1) Ability, Benevolence, and Integrity, together, positively influence Trust of the Government; 2) Trust of the Government and Trust of the Internet positively influence Trust in e-Government; 3) Trust in e-Government negatively influences Perceived Risk and positively influences Intention to Use and; 5) Perceived Risk negatively influences Intention to Use. Considering the results of this research, as government agencies increase their expenditure to implement and maintain e-gov initiatives, they must recognize and deal with trust-related issues.

摘要 本研究探究了信任与可信性对电子政务服务采纳及使用意向的影响。本研究提出结构化模型，考量能力（Ability）、仁慈性（Benevolence）、正直性（Integrity）、感知风险（Perceived Risk）、政府信任（Trust of the Government）、互联网信任（Trust of the Internet）与信任倾向（Disposition to Trust）间的关联。本研究通过偏最小二乘法（partial least square method）实现的结构方程模型（structural equation modeling）对所提模型开展检验。本次调研采用线上问卷形式，问卷包含针对模型中所有构念的36个测项，并以11级李克特量表（Likert scales）进行测量。首轮分析完成后，本研究提出了拟合效果更优的备选模型。研究结果表明：1）能力、仁慈性与正直性三者共同对政府信任产生正向影响；2）政府信任与互联网信任均对电子政务信任（Trust in e-Government）产生正向影响；3）电子政务信任对感知风险产生负向影响，且对使用意向（Intention to Use）产生正向影响；5）感知风险对使用意向产生负向影响。结合本研究结论，随着政府机构加大电子政务项目的实施与维护投入，其必须正视并妥善处理与信任相关的各类问题。