The effects of technology readiness, risks, and benefits on smart home technology adoption: extending the Theory of Planned Behavior model

Abstract

Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study investigated generational differences in the roles of technology readiness (TR), risks, and benefits on the behavioral intention of smart home technology. Data were gathered from a probability sample of 501 respondents by conducting a telephone survey in 2020. Findings showed that smart home technologies were not widely adopted in Hong Kong at the time of the survey. People who reported higher intention to adopt were all driven by components in the TPB model, TR (optimism and innovativeness), tangible benefits (such as saving energy, money, and time), and trendiness; however, this intention was inhibited by psychological risks. Furthermore, the interaction effect identified in the study provides a more nuanced view about the ways in which attitude toward IoT can interact with tangible benefits to regulate the behavioral intention of smart home products. This study suggests that designers and marketers of smart home products should recognize the role played by both intrinsic (e.g., optimism and innovativeness towards technology) and extrinsic factors (e.g., perceived risks and benefits) in significantly influencing the intention to adopt.