The Role of Income and Awareness as Moderating Variables on Adoption of Mobile Government Services in Tanzania Rural Areas

Abstract

Tanzania has adopted the uses of m-government services in providing public services to citizens. However, acceptance of this technology to citizens is still very low particularly in rural areas. Therefore, this study extended TAM model using awareness and income variables to examine direct and moderating effects. Stratified sampling, multi-stage, proportionate, and simple random samplings were then applied to draw 793 valid and complete responses. Structural equation modelling was further applied to examine the hypothesized relationships. Findings show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and awareness have positive and significant direct effects on intention to use m-government services. Furthermore, findings show that income and awareness tend to moderate the relationship between perceived usefulness and behaviour intention as well as the relationship between awareness and behaviour intention. The study has provided contributions to academia and policymakers on how to increase the acceptance of m-government services in Tanzania rural areas.