When citizens adopt the “e”: conditions for high usage rates of public e-services among the EU-27 national states

Abstract

Public e-services are generally considered to be rather on the later side of adoption in comparison to other digital innovations. However, their usage rates vary significantly across different national contexts. This study seeks to explain these substantial differences in public e-service usage rates among the EU-27 member states. Drawing on the diffusion of innovation theory, four main conditions (service accessibility and quality, digital literacy of citizens, perceived usefulness by citizens, and trust in public authorities) for high public e-service usage rates are identified. Utilizing a newly constructed dataset with data provided by the EU for 2021, a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) is conducted. The results indicate that the identified set of conditions is highly sufficient for high public e-service usage rates to occur, demonstrating a strong and reliable model fit within the EU context.