The Influence of Trust in the UTAUT Model

Abstract

This chapter tests the appropriateness of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model in the context of end user consumption by means of an online survey with 475 respondents (24% response rate). The study shows which factors have the greatest impact on the adoption process of VoIP technology in the US market in addition to the interactions of the main variables in the model (Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and Behavioral Intention to Adopt) and whether Trust can improve the predictive value of the UTAUT model to explain intention to adopt. Partial Least Squares (PLS) is used to evaluate the interactions of the main variables. The model includes four moderator variables (Gender, Age, Experience, and Voluntariness of Use). The results support most of the relationships identified in the original UTAUT model. More specifically, Performance Expectancy appears to have the strongest influence on the Intention of a consumer to adopt a new technology. The study provides information about whether the inclusion of Trust can generate good results for industry.