An investigation of culture’s influence on new technology adoption: the case of mobile payment

Purpose Building on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), this study examines how five individual-level cultural orientations influence mobile payment adoption. Direct versus moderating effects theoretical models of cultural value orientations are compared to elucidate how culture shapes consumers’ beliefs and behavior. Design/methodology/approach The study uses survey data from 679 US respondents to examine two competing theoretical models. Culture is measured at the individual rather than the national level. Findings The results provide stronger support for the direct effect than for the moderating effect model. We find that all five cultural value orientations are related to at least one UTAUT construct. Furthermore, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, social influence, facilitating conditions, habit and trust are related to the intention to use mobile payments. More importantly, all five cultural value orientations are related to at least one UTAUT construct. Originality/value Studies on culture in the adoption of mobile payments differ in their approach to measuring culture at the national and individual levels and in how they model cultural orientations as main or moderating effects. Our study is among the first to compare the two theoretical models, taking into account various adoption antecedents. It advances the understanding of the role of individual-level cultural orientations in the adoption of new technologies, particularly mobile payments.