Elderly Residents' Usage Patterns of E-Government Services in Lagos Urban Centers: An Analysis

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 $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.