Purpose - This paper aims to engage with the growing debate on the factors that affect e-government adoption in the developing country of Jordan. The change from traditional interactions between government and citizens in Jordan to interaction via the web needs further exploration in order to understand the factors that might affect e-government adoption by citizens. This paper therefore aims to report on a study to identify the main factors that influence citizens' intention to adopt e-government websites in Jordan, using a theoretical framework consisting of diffusion of innovation theory (DOI) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Design/methodology/approach - A survey study of 400 Jordanian citizens who were internet users investigated the influence of the aforementioned factors on the adoption and use of e-government websites. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings - Contrary to previous research, trust in the internet, relative advantage, compatibility and perceived ease of use were not found to be significant predictors of intention to use e-government websites. Trust in government, website design, beliefs, complexity and perceived usefulness were significant factors in Jordanian citizens' intention to use e-government websites. Originality/value - This study is one of the few to examine what influences adoption and use of e-government websites by citizens in the Middle East. The study clearly identifies the relationship between the constructs of "beliefs" (religious views) and website design and e-government adoption, and explores the influence of attitudes towards e-government adoption in Jordan. Although previous studies show similarities between the constructs related to DOI (relative advantage and complexity) and those related to TAM (perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEoU)), this research shows the importance of including these constructs when considering the topic of e-government adoption in a Middle Eastern country.