Civic Trust and the Intention to Utilize Open Government Data: An Experiment

Open government data (OGD) initiatives have gained traction in democracies, offering benefits such as transparency, accountability, and civic participation. The success of these initiatives can bolster government credibility, prompting agencies to seek increased civic utilization of their OGD services. However, citizens' willingness to use OGD services may hinge on their trust in the administration. While previous research has identified a correlation between these variables, the direction of causality remains unconfirmed due to the absence of an experimental design. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting an experiment using Solomon four-group design. The research question, "Does civic trust in the government increase their intention to use OGD services?" will be explored. The findings will enhance our understanding of the mechanism behind the intention of OGD service utilization and provide valuable insights for government agencies seeking to raise their credibility through increased civic use of OGD services.