African Media Law (Media/Law) | 11 April 2007
Elderly Residents' Usage Patterns of E-Government Services in Lagos Urban Centers: An Analysis
F, i, d, e, l, i, s, A, c, h, e, b, e, ,, O, k, e, c, h, u, k, w, u, N, w, a, b, u, e, z, e, ,, C, h, i, m, a, A, n, y, a, e, g, b, u, n, a, m, ,, U, d, o, m, e, m, e, U, d, o, h
Abstract
The elderly population in urban centers of Lagos, Nigeria is increasingly utilising electronic government (e-Government) services for administrative tasks such as pension payments and public health records updates. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative survey data from 300 participants aged 65 and above with qualitative interviews to explore perceptions and experiences of service usage. Elderly residents predominantly accessed e-Government services through smartphones (78%) rather than computers. Half reported encountering technical difficulties, which were mitigated by assistance from community members or local government staff. This study reveals a significant gap in digital literacy and support infrastructure for the elderly population within Lagos urban centers. Implementing targeted training programmes and improving accessibility features on e-Government platforms are recommended to enhance service uptake among this demographic group. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin<em>{\theta}\sum</em>i\ell(y<em>i,f</em>\theta(x<em>i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert</em>2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.