| This study examines the electronic administration of Virginia local government public services as a diffusion of innovation. The study design is a pre-experimental (descriptive and relational cross-sectional survey) design using correlational and survey analysis. The study population is Virginia local governments (counties and cities) with a web page (N = 129, n = 129) and agency officials who are responsible for their respective local government services through the Internet (N =129, n = 66). Data were collected from a content analysis and a self-developed, self-administered cross-sectional survey (response rate = 51%). The 31-question survey included a 17-item attribute scale, demographics questionnaire and questions about opinion leadership. A set of 25 electronic government (e-government) services, four characteristics of Virginia local governments, nine attributes of innovation adopters and three characteristics of adopters were investigated. The results indicate that population, per capita income and education are moderately related to the number and grade of e-government services. While there was no support for geography as a predictor for the number of e-government services, there was support for the associated grade of service. Of the nine attributes of adopters, four were found related to the number and grade of service of e-government services: communicability, observability, trialability and compatibility. The demographic variables (age, gender, and incumbency) were not found to be related to the number and grade of service of e-government services. Over 80% of the respondents cited as reasons to innovate: (1) adopt what we learned from other local governments (counties and cities) and (2) respond to internal pressures (i.e., my local government, businesses, citizens, interests groups). Overall, the results indicated that the electronic administration of Virginia local government public services was a diffusion of innovation. |
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