Consumer Trait and Situational Factor Determinants of Technology Acceptance

This study examines the internal relationships of the basic technology acceptance model (TAM) constructs and TAM’s determinant relationships with external predictors from: a) demographics (age, gender, income, education, and ethnicity); b) psychographic tech readiness facets (optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, insecurity); c) situational factors (wait time and crowding). Analysis confirms the basic TAM model and suggests that the relationships of age, wait time, crowding, and optimism with TAM’s latent variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use) appear valid and generalizable and have implications for self-service technology (SST) adoption research. Exploratory research that omits TAM’s moderating variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use) and that regresses age, wait time, crowding, and optimism directly with behavioral intention results in a simple 4-variable alternative model that has significant, moderately strong relationships and predictability for behavioral intent. This alternative model offers significant opportunities and ramifications for practitioners and warrants additional empirical applications