Measuring attitudes towards general technology: Antecedents, hypotheses and scale development

Abstract

Research on attitudes towards general technology is sparse. In this paper the authors develop and test a new scale to assess attitudes towards general technology and examine factors that may contribute to the acceptance of or resistance to new technologies. Hypotheses of personal factors posited to be antecedents to attitude towards technology are tested. A variety of methods are used in the analysis, including structural equations modelling. A robust and usable scale is developed, and a study involving 605 respondents indicates that individuals who have a positive attitude towards new technologies tend to be younger, to have more complex cognitive processes and to be predisposed to be optimistic. The results suggest a need for further development of scales to measure attitude towards general technology. Implications for marketing are discussed.