Trust and Risk in eGovernment Adoption

Citizen confidence in the competence of the government and the reliability of the technology used to implement egovernment initiatives is imperative to the wide-spread adoption of e-government. This study analyzes how citizens’ trust in technology and government affect their willingness to engage in e-government transactions. We proposes a model of egovernment trust composed of disposition to trust, institution-based trust (IBT), characteristic-based trust (CBT) and perceived risk. Data were collected via a survey of 214 citizens ranging in age from 14 to 83 old. The model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling techniques. Results indicate that disposition to trust positively affects IBT and CBT trusts, which in turn affect intentions to use an e-government service. CBT trust also affects negatively perceived risk, which affects use intentions as well. Implications for practice and research are discussed.