An Empirical study on E-Government Intentions and Adoption: Mediating effects of Bangladeshi Citizens’ Attitudes and Trust in Government

Use of Information and Communication Technology to more efficiently deliver government services to citizens is known as e-government. This research investigated the factors that influence e-government adoption intention by Bangladeshi citizens. The study extended the basic UTAUT model to propose an e-government adoption conceptual framework. The proposed framework included attitude and trust in Government as possible mediator. The proposed framework was validated through empirical data. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from citizens across various regions of Bangladesh through a structured survey questionnaire. Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used for data analysis. The study results revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence affects the Bangladeshi citizens’ e-government service adoption intention. Furthermore, these relationships are mediated through attitude. The favorable attitude created through performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence trickles down to favorable adoption intention. Facilitating conditions supporting the e-government engagement influences the behavioral intention as well. The supporting conditions’ effects are significantly and positively mediated by Bangladeshi citizens’ trust in their government. By proposing and validating a new conceptual framework for studying e-government adoption, the study adds knowledge to the e-government specific literature. The validation in Bangladesh also contributed to literature by providing e-government adoption insight from developing nations’ perspective. The study outcome provides an opportunity to bridge the gap between government service provider and citizen. Government policy makers can consider carrying out an investigation on the impact of the external influences to strategize more effective e-government initiatives. Accordingly, the service providers while designing e-government services should prioritize taking into consideration citizens’ specific requirements. The study further contributed to the creation of awareness to the citizens on the benefits of e-governance in the provision of effective government services.