PREDICTING INTERNET NON-USERS' ADOPTION INTENTION AND ADOPTION BEHAVIOR

Abstract

A conceptual framework based on theory of planned behavior is developed to examine the impacts of social and psychological variables on Internet non-users' adoption intention and adoption behavior. A two-wave revolving panel design is adopted in the study based on the data collected from a longitudinal telephone survey conducted in Hong Kong. The study finds incongruence between individuals' attitude toward the Internet and adoption behavior and congruence between adoption intention and adoption behavior, which are, respectively, known as ‘evaluative inconsistency’ and ‘literal consistency’ in social psychology. Internet non-users' perceived popularity of the Internet is a significant predictor of their subsequent behavior, whose impact is mediated by adoption intention. Internet non-users' subsequent adoption behavior is only influenced by their perceived capacity to adopt the Internet (i.e. self-efficacy) and not influenced by external constraints (i.e. time availability and facilitating resources).