E-government Use in Vietnam: Do External Variables Drive a Positive Attitude Towards Technology?

Abstract E-government system adoption, despite its progress and ramped up efforts by various governments, is still facing major challenges. This study intends to identify the external variables and demographic factors that would enable a successful adoption of e-government services across population groups, on the basis of Technology Adoption Model. A non-randomized convenience sampling of 383 e-government service users of age 18–70 years old were surveyed and hypotheses were tested using a two-stage Structural Equation Modeling. Results show that structural assurance and government regulations drives perceived ease of use (PEU) and a positive attitude towards technology. Moreover, perceived ease of use (PEU) partially mediates the relationships of structural assurance with attitude towards technology and government regulations with attitude towards technology. Also, a positive attitude towards technology drives e-government service use. In terms of the demographic factors, education level moderates the association between perceived ease of use and users’ attitudes toward technology while income positively influences the relationship between the citizen’s attitudes toward technology and usage behavior based on their level of access to technology. These findings reveal that users’ external variables can enhance e-government adoption and that demographic factors are critical in bridging the gap among users.