This study addresses the demand-side of e-government--not only usage--but also perceptions and barriers to utilization that have not been treated previously. Indicators to measure acceptance and adoption of e-government were used to build two surveys that were then piloted among members of the 'general population' in the 15 EU Member States, Switzerland and Europe, and to IT managers in the commercial sector in seven EU countries. The survey shows that only about one third of businesses are currently using e-government. Among these, only about one third prefer this method over existing methods.