The willingness to adopt technologies: A cross-sectional study on the influence of technical self-efficacy on acceptance

Abstract

Possible explanations for the acceptance or rejection of technological innovations have become a crucial topic in research. Depending on the type of technology, a variety of factors affect acceptance motives. This paper looks into the influence of technical-self efficacy (TSE) on acceptance of technology infrastructure. An empirical study (n=137 participants) was conducted to study effects of TSE on approval, discomfort, and resistance towards technology infrastructure, using electricity pylons, mobile phone masts, and wind power plants as examples. Overall, it was corroborated that TSE is a key variable for explaining users' acceptance of technology infrastructure. The individual technical self-confidence contributed to the explanation of approval and discomfort, whereas resistance was largely based on place of residence. Acceptance differences between technologies were based on different influential user factors. Our research provides valuable insights for stakeholders and contributes to the research on acceptance of energy infrastructures by providing a cross-sectional view. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.