Elevating Malaysian public willingness in smart city development supported by governmental initiatives

Purpose Public participation intention (PPI) or citizens’ engagement in smart city development is imperative to fulfil the obligations of both private and government entities. Limited investigations motivated this study to analyse factors contributing to PPI in smart city development moderated by governmental initiatives. Design/methodology/approach This study collected 222 responses from Malaysian citizens via non-probability convenient sampling. A unique conceptual model was formulated by referring to the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, with hypotheses tested and corroborated via partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings Social influence and attitudes were discovered to significantly impact PPI. An indirect association of PPI with perceived usefulness and personal innovativeness was also discovered, in which attitudes mediated while governmental initiatives moderated the relationship. Research limitations/implications Employing the S-O-R model while incorporating two technological dimensions from the technology acceptance model (TAM), social influence and personal innovativeness was a unique approach for the current topic. The significant moderating impact of governmental initiatives also enriched the existing literature. Relevant parties can leverage the current study outcomes to develop efficacious strategies and policies in enhancing PPI for successful smart city development. Originality/value The existing knowledge corpus was enriched by the current findings after determining the factors significantly contributing to PPI in smart city development while highlighting the vital function of governmental initiatives in improving PPI.