E-Government Portal Information Performance and the Role of Local Community Interest. Empirical Support for a Model of Citizen Perceptions

Abstract

E-government portals at the local level are a vital part of the modernization of public administration. However, there are few research articles that focus on the informational success factors of these portal websites. As the foundation of more advanced service levels, informational offers still constitute the majority of e-government content. In this article, a model of e-government usage with a focus on informational offers is empirically tested. The four dimensions information attractiveness, information usefulness, information awareness, and ease of navigation are used as relevant criteria for user-based informational performance perception. Using structural equation modelling a moderating effect of local community interest can be shown. Citizens with low interest in their community show a higher dependency on information attractiveness, information usefulness, information awareness, and ease of navigation to predict the usage intention. Corresponding implications for future research and practitioners are derived.