The acceptance and use of smartphones among older adults: differences in UTAUT determinants before and after training

Abstract

PurposeThis article aims at a Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model framework that was used to investigate the impact of a 16-h smartphone training program on the correlations among different constructs of smartphone use in a sample of older adults.Design/methodology/approachA total of 208 participants aged 60–78 (mean: 65.4) years completed a questionnaire that collected information on demographic variables and the frequency and duration of smartphone use as well as the answers to questions on the six UTAUT constructs of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and behavioral intention and usage behavior. The data were analyzed using partial least squares analysis.FindingsThis study was the first to compare post-training changes in the correlations among UTAUT constructs. The results revealed significant post-training changes in all construct correlations. Behavioral intention and facilitating conditions were shown to significantly impact usage behavior both before and after training and performance expectancy was shown to impact behavioral intention before training. After training, both effort expectancy and social influence were found to impact behavioral intention significantly. Moreover, the impact of facilitating conditions on usage behavior was significantly increased after training.Originality/valueTo date, no study published in the literature has investigated the impact of technological training on the technology-use intentions and behaviors of older adults. The findings of this study suggest that, for older adults, the results of the acceptance and use model for smartphones change significantly and positively between pre-smartphone training and post-smartphone training time points. The findings support that technology training has a positive impact on smartphone use in older adults.