Abstract
This study investigates the complex interplay between citizen trust and the adoption of e-government services within Turkish metropolitan municipalities, employing a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. Despite significant investments in e-government infrastructure, adoption rates often lag, with citizen trust frequently cited as a critical yet underexplored factor. Drawing upon a survey of 854 citizens across various Turkish metropolitan areas, the research models the direct and indirect effects of different dimensions of trust—namely, trust in government institutions, trust in technology, and perceived security and privacy—on e-government service adoption. The findings reveal that trust in government institutions significantly influences perceived usefulness and ease of use of e-government services, which in turn are strong predictors of adoption. Furthermore, perceived security and privacy emerged as crucial mediators between trust in technology and overall trust in e-government. The study contributes to public administration and information systems literature by empirically validating a comprehensive trust-based model for e-government adoption in a developing country context, offering valuable insights for policymakers and municipal administrators aiming to enhance citizen engagement and the effectiveness of digital public services.
