Antecedents of trust in e-government services: an empirical test in Jordan

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to explore technology adoption research and propose a trust antecedents model, where trust in government, trust in technology, information quality, Internet familiarity and privacy and security concerns are hypothesized to predict Jordanians trust in e-government. Also, trust in e-government extended the Theory of Reasoned Action in predicting the intention to use e-government. Design/methodology/approach – Proposed a model and tried to empirically test it using a sample of 759 Jordanians who filled a survey consisting of items measuring the previously mentioned constructs. A structural equation modeling technique was used to test the model. Findings – Results supported the proposed research model, where all proposed variables significantly predicted intention to use e-government services. Also, a partial least squares estimate of the model indicated a significant prediction of trust in e-government by all proposed variables except the Internet familiarity construct. The coefficient of determination for intention to use was 0.465, and for trust in e-government 0.415. Research limitations/implications – The study utilized a newly developed instrument in Arabic, and diverse categories of subjects, where some of them were considering a public e-learning system when responding to items. Practical implications – This research is important to public officials and the Jordanian e-government project, as it emphasized the importance of trust constructs (TiT and TiG) as major influencers on the trust propensity related to e-government. Also, other constructs like information quality showed significant influence; where the type and characteristics of information posted on e-government Web sites influence the adoption decision on the long run. Jordanians’ perceptions regarding information posted on e-government Web site were all at moderate levels. More emphasis on making information more accurate, recent, comprehensive and original is needed. Social implications – This study showed a relative deficiency in Jordanians perceptions towards trusting the Internet. It seems that they reflected a moderate trust in its legal, technical and security levels. Finally, this study emphasized the role of privacy and security issues in influencing the level of trust in e-government systems. Similarly, transparency and knowledge equity are important dimensions that need to be addressed. Originality/value – This study is one of the largest studies with respect to the size of its sample that explores trust in e-government in Jordan. The focus on trust antecedents and the empirical test of the model is a first attempt in the literature, where a structural model was explored raising the level of accuracy of estimation to its required potential. The number of constructs to be explored at the same time is an addition to the area of e-government technology adoption.