Public Acceptance of Government Information Systems: Evidence From the Popular Vote on an Electronic Identity (e-ID) in Switzerland

Abstract

E-government describes governments’ efforts to use information technology to improve the efficiency of government services. While the positive aspects of e-government are evident from an organisational point of view, individuals can either accept or decline e-government solutions and governments aim to increase citizen acceptance of their e-government initiatives. There is a wide range of literature with so-called technology acceptance models to study population acceptance of e-government. However, these models have some shortcomings regarding the planned implementation of tangible systems in the public sector (ex-ante acceptance). We, therefore, propose a revised model of information system acceptance in the public sector, the GISAM, and apply it to the case of the 2021 ballot proposal on electronic identity (e-ID) introduction in Switzerland. Using the VOX dataset allows us to examine the survey data of 2,092 Swiss citizens, covering their voting decisions and reasons for them, and several socio-demographic and socio-economic variables. Our findings show that a broad range of factors influences voter acceptance of e-ID. Contrary to traditional technology acceptance models, the results of this study suggest that individual attitudes towards digitisation play a significant role in technology adoption in the e-ID context. Future research should investigate the case of ex-ante technology acceptance more deeply.

Keywords

• electronic identity
• public information systems
• public acceptance
• e-government
• e-service design