Smart development in the making: Links between commuting, digital technologies and the demand for e-government applications in Hungary

Abstract

Although various actors have examined the user acceptance of e-government developments, less attention has so far devoted to the relationship between attitudes of certain commuter groups against digital technologies and their intention to engage in productive time-use by mobile devices. This paper aims to fill this gap by establishing an overall framework which focuses on Hungarian commuters’ attitudes toward e-government applications as well as their possible demands of developing them. Relying on a representative questionnaire survey conducted in Hungary in March and April 2020, the data were examined by a machine learning and correlations to identify the factors, attitudes and demands that influence the use of mobile devices during frequent commuting. The paper argues that the regularity of commuting in rural areas, as well as the higher levels of qualification and employment status in cities show a more positive, technophile attitude to new ICT and mobile technologies that strengthen the demands for digital development, with special regard to optimising e-government applications for certain types of commuting groups. One of the main limitations of this study is that results suggest a picture of the commuters in a narrow timeframe. The findings suggest that developing e-government applications is necessary and desirable from both of the supply and demand sides. Based on prior scholarly knowledge, no research has ever analysed these correlations in Hungary where commuters are among the European citizens who spend extensive time with commuting.