Thin films of undoped and lithium-doped Zinc oxide, (Zn1-xLix)O; x = 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 were prepared by sol-gel method using spin-coating technique on silicon substrates [(111)Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si)]. The influence of lithium doping on the structural, electrical and microstructural characteristics have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, leakage current, piezoelectric measurements and scanning electron microscopy. The resistivity of the ZnO film is found to increase markedly with low levels (x <= 0.05) of lithium doping thereby enhancing their piezoelectric applications. The transverse piezoelectric coefficient, e(31)* has been determined for the thin films having the composition (Zn0.95Li0.05)O, to study their suitability for piezoelectric applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.