The term e-government describes the use of information and communications technology, particularly the Internet, for the delivery of public services. As governments invest in e-government, there is only limited knowledge of the extent of public trust in the new electronic modes of delivery; we also know little about whether there is any relationship between trust in government and trust in e-government. This article reports on research designed to probe this issue. Drawing on survey data from Australia and New Zealand, a series of hypotheses are tested pertaining to relationships between public trust in government and e-government, in the use of information and communications technology and trust in e-government, and support for e-government investment and development. Trust in government was found not to be correlated with trust in facets of e-government service provision but was associated with support for e-government investment. More intensive Internet users were more likely to trust e-government services.
Bland, M. ( 2000). An introduction to medical statistics (3rd ed.). UK: Oxford University Press.
2.
Brodie, M., Flournoy, R.E., Altman, D.E., Blendon, R.J., Benson, J.M., & Rosenbaum, M.D. (2000). Health information, the Internet and the digital divide. Health Affairs, 19, 255-265.
3.
Carter, L., & &Belanger, F. (2005). The utilization of e-government services: Citizen trust, innovation and acceptance factors. Information Systems Journal, 15, 5-25.
4.
Central Intelligence Agency. (2008). The world factbook 2008. Washington, DC: Author.
5.
Chadwick, A., & May, C. ( 2003). Interaction between states and citizens in the age of the Internet: ‘E-government’ in the United States, Britain and theEuropean Union. Governance, 16, 271-300.
6.
Cleary, M., & Stokes, S. ( 2006). Democracy and the culture of scepticism: Political trust in Argentina and Mexico. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
7.
Cook, T., & Gronke, P. ( 2005). The skeptical American: Revisiting the meanings of trust in government and confidence in institutions. Journal of Politics , 67, 784-803.
8.
Curtain, G., Sommer, M., & Vis-Sommer, V. (Eds.). (2004 ). The world of e-government. New York, NY : Haworth.
9.
Dugdale, A., Daly, A., Papandrea, F., & Maley, M. ( 2005). Accessing e-government: Challenges for citizens and organizations . International Review of Administrative Sciences, 71, 109-118.
10.
Evans, S.J.W. ( 1991). Good surveys guide: Go for small random samples with high response rates. British Medical Journal, 302, 302-303.
11.
Fjeldstad, O.H. ( 2004). What’s trust got to do with it? Non-payment of service charges in local authorities in South Africa. Journal of Modern African Studies, 42, 539-562.
12.
Gauld, R. ( 2009). ‘E-government:’ Is it the next big public sector trend? In S. Goldfinch & J. Wallis (Eds.), International handbook of public management reform. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
13.
Gauld, R., & Goldfinch, S. ( 2006). Dangerous enthusiasms: E-government, computer failure and information system development. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.
14.
Gilbert, D., Balestrini, P., & Littleboy, D. ( 2004). Barriers and benefits in the adoption of e-government . International Journal of Public Sector Management, 17, 286-301.
15.
Goldfinch, S. ( 2007). Pessimism, computer failure, and information systems development in the public sector. Public Administration Review , 67, 917-929.
16.
Goldfinch, S., & Wallis, J. (Eds.). (2009). International handbook of public management reform. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
17.
Heeks, R. ( 2006). Implementing and managing e-government: An international text. London, UK: SAGE.
18.
Hetherington, M.J. ( 2004). Why trust matters: Declining political trust and the demise of American liberalism. NJPrinceton University Press.
19.
Job, J. ( 2005). How is trust in government created? It begins at home but ends in Parliament. Australian Review of Public Affairs , 6, 1-23.
20.
Kolsaker, A., & Lee-Kelley, L. (2008). Citizens’ attitudes towards e-government and e-governance: A UK study. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 21, 723-738.
21.
Liszka, H.A., Steyer, T.E., & Hueston, W.J. ( 2006). Virtual medical care: How are our patients using online health information? Journal of Community Health, 31, 368-378.
22.
Mayer-Schonberger, V., & Lazer, D. (Eds.). (2007). Governance and information technology: From electronic government to information government. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
23.
Mein Smith, P., Hempenstall, P., & Goldfinch, S. ( 2009). Remaking the Tasman world. Christchurch , New Zealand: Canterbury University Press.
24.
Norris, P. ( 2001). Digital divide: Civic engagement, information poverty, and the Internet worldwide. MACambridge University Press .
25.
Oakeshott, M. ( 1996). The politics of faith and the politics of scepticism . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
26.
Parent, M., Vandebeek, C., & Gemino, A. ( 2005). Building citizen trust through e-government. Government Information Quarterly, 22, 720-736.
27.
Reddick, C.G. ( 2005a). Citizen interaction with e-government: From the streets to servers? Government Information Quarterly, 22, 38-57.
28.
Reddick, C.G. ( 2005b). Citizen-initiated contacts with government: Comparing phones and websites. Journal of E-Government, 2, 27-53.
29.
Shakaryan, A. ( 2007). Civic trust and governance in Armenia. Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 15, 261-267.
30.
Silcock, R. ( 2001). What is e-government?Parliamentary Affairs , 54, 88-101.
31.
Statistics New Zealand. (2008). National population estimates. Wellington, New Zealand: Statistics New Zealand.
32.
Tolbert, C., & Mossberger, K. (2006). The effects of e-government on trust and confidence in government. Public Administration Review, 66, 354-369.
33.
United Nations. (2008). United Nations e-Government Survey 2008: From e-government to connected government . New York, NY: Author.
34.
Waseda University Institute of E-Government. ( 2009). 2009 Waseda University E-Government Ranking. Tokyo, Japan: Author.
35.
Welch, E., Hinnant, C., & Jae Moon, M. ( 2004). Linking citizen satisfaction with e-government and trust in government. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15, 371-391.
36.
West, D.M. ( 2004). E-government and the transformation of service delivery and citizen attitudes. Public Administration Review, 64, 15-27.
37.
West, D.M. ( 2007). Global E-Government, 2007. Providence, RI: Center for Public Policy, Brown University .
38.
Yang, K. ( 2005). Public administrators’ trust in citizens: A missing link in citizen involvement efforts. Public Administration Review, 65, 273-285.
