Ethnic perspective in e-government use and trust in government: A test of social inequality approaches

This study examined the interactive effect of ethnicity and e-government use on trust in government and of ethnicity and trust in government on e-government use by means of social inequality approaches outlined in Internet sociology studies. The data for the study was obtained from the 2017 Israel Social Survey. It was found that Arabs from small localities with varying levels of trust in government are less likely to use e-government than Israeli Jews with the same levels of trust. Yet they are more likely than Israeli Jews to have some degree of trust in government. Arabs from large localities differ from Israeli Jews in terms of e-government use only when they have some degree of trust in government. However, they do not differ from Israeli Jews regarding the trust itself. The results provide support for the social stratification approach and a justification for treating disadvantaged minorities according to the size of their residential localities.