Digital Divide and Citizen Use of E-Government in China's Municipalities

Abstract

By using the 2014 randomly sampling survey of 36 major cities in China, the author empirically examines the status and predictors of e-government use by citizens. The author finds that nearly one third of the respondents accessed online services of city government websites, and the sampled cities vary substantially in the percentage of e-government uptake. The results show that e-government use is primarily driven by citizen trust in government, age, education, and income, whereas political efficacy, gender, nationality, household types, and occupations are not significant. There is a notable digital divide in relatively disadvantageous groups, and the government should pay particular attention to boost e-government use among these individuals.