The Innovation Effect: How Futurism Shifts Risk Perception in Vehicles

Technology adoption models, such as UTAUT 2, focus on various technologies but might be too broad to effectively predict futuristic, highly innovative technology adoption. In this paper, we investigate potential futuristic technology adoption determinants and argue that perceived risk and time horizon (futurism) might play an important role. This study is a replication and extension of our previous study on the risk perception of futuristic vehicles, investigating the effects of different modes and autonomy levels of vehicles on risk perception. The study utilizes 3x3 mixed MANOVA design. The data was collected through an anonymous survey on students from a technical university. The results suggest that the futurism component of technology seems to lower perceived risk and that futuristic technology adoption may call for more tailored models that capture risk perception, familiarity, and expected exposure.