Inhibitors and Enablers of Public E-Services in Lebanon

This paper examines user intentions to accept or reject public e-services in Lebanon based on the model of acceptance of technology in households (MATH) and on the two-factors theory. Data were gathered in 2009 in two phases via interviews with open-ended questions in the first stage and through a survey questionnaire in the second phase. Results of the qualitative and the quantitative studies show that only a small percentage of Lebanese intended to accept government e-services. For intenders, perceived usefulness, perceived government support, computer self efficacy, and perceived government influences are key drivers of the e-services acceptance intention. For non-intenders, barriers such as fear of government control, lack of trust in security and privacy of personal information, lack of support, and lack of knowledge were most significant. In both studies, fear of government control was the most important determinant. Willingness to use public e-services will take place if the Lebanese government develops trust relationships with citizens, provides assurances that their financial details are secure, provides guarantees to protect the privacy of citizens, and does not employ e-services to increase political control over its citizens.