The Impact of the Digital Divide on the Adoption of e-Government in Greece

Abstract

The adoption of e-government services and the active e-participation of citizens may be affected by the pre-dominant socio-economic inequalities. The current study examined the impact of the digital divide to the use of e-government and e-participation services. We used the micro-data from the national survey on the use of Information and Communication Technologies by the Greek households and individuals. This survey was conducted by the Greek Statistical Authority in 2017, in a representative sample of the Greek population (n = 3321). We analyzed the data using logistic regression equations. According to the results, the social exclusion factors may influence the use of e-government services. The most important socio-economic factors affecting the decision to use e-government services are the educational level, age and citizenship. The e-participation of the citizens in various democratic processes is only influenced by their educational attainment. This work highlights the impact of the digital divide to every aspect of our digital life. The state should implement policies to address the digital divide focusing on the vulnerable social subgroups, such as the low-educated and older people. The findings of our research may help the policymakers to conceptualize the effect of the digital divide to e-government adoption, in a multidimensional and integrative way. Keywords: e-government, Greece, digital divide, e-services, digital skills