Age Differences in Technology Readiness and Its Effects on Information System Acceptance and Use : The Case of Online Electricity Services in Finland

摘要

Although technology readiness (TR) has been found to influencethe acceptance and use of information systems (IS), little is known abouthow TR varies in terms of different demographic variables and how thesedemographic variables moderate the effects of TR on IS acceptance anduse. In this study, we aim to address this gap in prior research by examiningthe potential age differences in the four technology readiness index (TRI)constructs as well as their effects on IS use intention and its two mainantecedents hypothesised in the technology acceptance model (TAM):perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The examination isconducted in the context of online electricity services and based on 1,176online survey responses collected from Finnish consumers and analysedthrough structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings of the studysuggest age differences in the optimism, innovation, and discomfortconstructs of TRI, but not in the effects of any of the TRI constructs on theTAM constructs. These findings and their implications are discussed inmore detail especially from the perspective of the so-called “young elderly”segment consisting of individuals aged 60–75 years.