Conceptualization of Trust in the e-Government Context: A Qualitative Analysis

Although trust aspects have been investigated in e-commerce context, the e-government field is still significantly lacking from empirical studies that explore trust in e-government from the citizen’s perspective. The lack of trust in e-government in developing countries is another persuasive impetus for conducting this study. The few recent studies investigating citizens’ trust in e-government are conducted in developed countries. This study employed a qualitative approach (focus groups) to gain in depth understanding of the citizen’s perception of e-government adoption. E-government initiative in Saudi Arabia is the main focus of this research. Based on the literature review, the key antecedent factors that affect citizen trust in e-government are identified, and a research model is build. Based on the results of the analysis of three focus groups, managerial recommendations are provided. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-1740-7.ch076