Exploring Citizens' Motives influencing the satisfaction with and adoption of E-Government Services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Governments worldwide invest hugely in e-Government (eGOV) services implementation to better serve their citizens. However, the eGOV services’ adoption level still low in developing countries, which explains the need for understanding the motives underlying to the satisfaction with and the adoption of such services. This article explores the motives citizens would adopt eGOV services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data was collected through 34 semi-structured individual interviews. After an examination of the citizens' overall evaluation of eGOV services, a thematic analysis method was used to investigate the critical factors underlying eGOV success, their impacts on users’ satisfaction and eGOV adoption. Findings showed that eGOV success hinges on the users’ characteristics and their perception of the eGOV portals’ features. Moreover, results revealed that 11 factors influence citizens’ satisfaction and eGOV adoption success. The factors classified at the top five by the interviewees are (1) the service relevance to the users’ needs and it personalization, (2) the ease of use of portals, (3) the security, privacy as well as the service quality levels, (4) the information quality offered, and (5) the accessibility. The other factors cited by respondents are associated to the design technology, the interactivity, and the transparency. In light of the outcomes, advices to support eGOV adoption were formulated. Since results demonstrated that user needs and characteristics are at the core success of an eGOV service, governments in developing countries in general, and the Saudi government, in particular, should adapt their e-services' content and technology to users, as well as implement an efficient communication strategy on efforts deployed in eGOV services to enhance citizens trust. This paper suggested that future investigations should cross citizens and professionals in charge of eGOV services viewpoints for developing a more comprehensive framework supporting eGOV services adoption.