The effects of gender and age on new technology implementation in a developing country: Testing the theory of planned behavior (TPB)

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the effects of gender, age and education on new technology implementation in Saudi Arabia, a technologically developing country, using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Design/methodology/approach: The research was an empirical investigation based on surveys completed by 1,088 Saudi knowledge workers. Findings: The TPB model performs well in Saudi Arabia. This validation accounts for 37 percent of the variance in behavioral intention among Saudi knowledge workers. For the moderator variables, there were no statistically significant interactions, with the exception of the moderation of perceived behavioral control on behavioral intention by level of education. Research limitations/implications: Saudi Arabia is an exemplar for many developing nations characterized by distinct intellectual and cultural traditions that differ from Western cultures. Demographic variables (e.g. gender and age) that have been reported to be significant moderators of the influences of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intention in other cultural samples were found to be non‐significant in this Saudi Arabian sample. Practical implications: System developers using user‐centered design approaches have different design criteria for the successful workforce adoption of information technology (IT) systems in a technologically developing nation, as compared to the workforce of a technologically developed nation. Originality/value: This paper validates TPB as a multi‐cultural model for investigating the impact of attitudes, beliefs, and subjective norms on technology adoption, and, in contrast to previous studies, indicates the (non)effects of select demographic moderators on the model using a non‐Western sample.