| Abstract | Various theories and models exist on new technology and eGovernment adoption and explain the phenomenon. eGovernment acceptance though depends on various factors that differentiate among different groups, particularly regarding expectations, cultural variations, the level of use and interaction, commitment to the eGovernment initiatives.
Furthermore, in Greece, there are third parties (Citizen Service Centres-CSCs) that operate and play a significant role in the eGovernment context. Nevertheless, their roles in eGovernment acceptance have to be investigated, in addition to other factors. Hence, further research is needed.
The ultimate aim of this Research Project is to contribute to the understanding of the user’s intention drivers or barriers for e-services usage at the local government level that has not been sufficiently explored. It succeeds it, by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model and proposing a validation research framework. The enhanced model incorporates ‘trust in the Internet’ and ‘trust in the government’ and the roles of CSCs in the Greek eGovernment, by using ‘Habit of going to CSCs’ and ‘Trust in the CSCs’ factors. Τhe model is empirically tested,
using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The data (843 participants) came from two cities’ citizens, in Greece. First, the model is being refined by conducting exploratory factor analysis, followed by confirmatory factor analysis and finally the hypothesised structural model is assessed. Ten out of the fifteen hypotheses (relationships and interrelationships among the factors) were confirmed.
The findings revealed ‘trust in the Internet’, ‘trust in the government’, and ‘performance expectancy’ to be the primary drivers of behavioural intention to use e-services. Also ‘habit of going to CSCs’ is negatively related to behavioural intention to use e-services.
Findings contribute to theory by understanding the drivers of eGovernment adoption in Greece. At the practical level, the research provides guidelines and recommendations that will help eGovernment policy decision makers and web designers in better planning and implementing eGovernment policies and strategies to increase e-services take-up. Furthermore, the questionnaire will be freely available for government organisations in Greece, along with simple directions and recommendations to assess their initiatives. |
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