Using Polynomial Modeling to Understand Service Quality in E–Government Websites1

As e–government websites grow in functionalities and capabilities, there is a need to better understand the nuanced role of service quality to enable governments to better address citizens’ online service needs. Such an understanding should help improve overall e–government use by citizens. Thus motivated, our paper investigates how users respond to the service quality perception–expectation gap in e–government websites. We draw on rational choice theory (RCT) to develop a theoretical model linking expected and perceived information systems (IS) service quality to continued e–government website use intentions. The proposed model is empirically tested using polynomial modeling and response surface analysis. The results indicate that, in contrast to the organizational context, for e–government websites, both agreement and disagreement between expected and perceived IS service quality are positively associated with continued use intention. In our sample, as high as 77 percent of respondents appear to be in the zone of tolerance, suggesting that users can tolerate wide variations in service quality before they consider seeking alternatives to e–government websites.