Trust in Government or in Technology? What Really Drives Internet Voting.

Internet voting is considered a crucial potential technological innovation, and scholars agree that trust plays a key role for its adoption and use by citizens. But which type of trust is essential, trust in government or trust in technology? We leverage on a cross-sectional analysis and a preregist...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Political Research Quarterly Vol. 78; no. 2; pp. 783 - 797
Autores principales: Abdala, M. Belén, Plescia, Carolina, Boyer, Ming M., Brunetti, Anna Lia
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Jun2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Internet voting is considered a crucial potential technological innovation, and scholars agree that trust plays a key role for its adoption and use by citizens. But which type of trust is essential, trust in government or trust in technology? We leverage on a cross-sectional analysis and a preregistered online experiment in Estonia to test a multidimensional trust framework. Examining the impact of trust dimensions on i-voting likelihood, we unveil a robust correlation between trust in government and in i-voting technology. While both elicit the intention to i-vote, trust in technology emerges as a stronger driver for the decision between online or in-person voting. These findings significantly contribute to comprehending i-voting and offer insights into the practical implementation of technology in democratic processes.