The Effects of E‐Government on Trust and Confidence in Government

Trust in government has been declining for more than three decades now. E‐government has been proposed as a way to increase citizen trust in government and improve citizen evaluations of government generally. Using two‐stage models to analyze recent Pew survey data, this research explores the relationship between e‐government use, attitudes about e‐government, and trust in government. There is a statistically significant relationship between trust and use of a local government Web site, as well as other positive assessments of federal and local governments. The evidence suggests that e‐government can increase process‐based trust by improving interactions with citizens and perceptions of responsiveness. The findings are theoretically important for reconciling the conflicting research on the effects of e‐government and for understanding variations by level of government. Citizen attitudes toward government, including trust, are core concerns for democratic governance and public administration.