Effectiveness of Egyptian Governorate Portals in Supporting Digital Government Communication and E-Service Quality: A Dual-Method Applied Study

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Egyptian governorate portals as tools of digital government communication at the local level, by examining the gap between the institutional performance of these portals—as reflected by objective analytical indicators—and the level of public usage and perceived satisfaction. The study adopted a dual-method research design combining an evaluative content analysis of four governorate portals (Cairo, Alexandria, Sharqia, and Beni Suef) using a validated assessment rubric measuring four principal dimensions: content quality, e-service efficiency, usability, and digital interactivity, alongside a field survey of a purposive sample of 254 respondents drawn from users of these portals. The study drew upon an integrative theoretical framework combining the digital government communication approach as the governing framework, Kent and Taylor’s dialogic communication theory as an auxiliary framework for portal analysis, and uses and gratifications theory as an interpretive framework for user behavior.
Results revealed high institutional evaluation scores: content quality and credibility achieved a total implementation rate of 100%, service-related functions scored 100%, news services reached 82.14%, and usability attained 84%, reflecting clear institutional readiness. Conversely, field results showed that regular usage (“always”) did not exceed 22%, while occasional usage (“sometimes”) dominated at 56%. High satisfaction (“very satisfied”) reached only 21.7% against a dominant neutral stance of 69.2%. Moreover, actual service utilization did not surpass 44.4% despite full institutional availability.
These findings confirm a substantial gap between institutional effectiveness and perceived effectiveness, necessitating a shift beyond the technical dimension toward fostering interactive and participatory dimensions and improving user experience to build trust and deepen actual utilization. The study establishes a baseline documenting local digital government communication status in early 2019—prior to the rapid transformations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic—thereby enabling future longitudinal comparisons to measure actual developmental trajectories.