Dissemination effort, innovation attributes, and variations in innovation dissemination rate

Abstract

Innovation-decision type, communication channels, social system, and change agents’ promotion effort influence innovation adoption, but 49–87% of variance in adoption rates is explained by perceived innovation attributes (Rogers 1995). Relationships between adoption rates and these variables are much researched but very little research has been done to determine the relative contribution of these five variables acting jointly. In the same innovation-decision type, communication channels and social system, relative contribution of dissemination effort, linkages and perceived innovation attributes are jointly explored in partial correlation analysis using median effort scores of promotion agents’ and adopters’ perceptions of 15 innovation attributes of 26 innovative practices in a package actively promoted by change agents. When linkages are adequately provided, dissemination effort explains 12.7% of variance in rates comparing well with the greatest response to change agent effort of 3–16%, occurring when opinion leaders adopt (Rogers 1995). It is more than the contribution of any one of 15 attributes studied but less than their total contribution of 20.7% where simplicity alone explains 11.5% of variations.