Vietnamese Generation Z’s behavioral intention to use active noise cancelling headphones: integration of technology acceptance model and protection motivation theory

Purpose This study aims to investigate the adoption of active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones among Generation Z consumers in Vietnam. Given the increasing risk of hearing loss caused by prolonged exposure to high-volume audio, ANC headphones emerge as a health-supportive consumer technology. By integrating the technology acceptance model (TAM) and protection motivation theory (PMT), this research tests both functional and psychological determinants of ANC headphone adoption in a health-care-relevant context. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was distributed using purposive sampling, yielding 311 valid responses. Structural equation modeling was conducted using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) to test and confirm the hypothesized relationships. Findings Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and self-efficacy significantly influenced behavioral intention across both models. Unexpectedly, perceived severity negatively impacted behavioral intention while perceived vulnerability showed no effect, suggesting that Generation Z may be resistant to fear-based health appeals. Response efficacy and response costs were not significant, indicating that the perceived effectiveness of protective actions does not strongly shape behavioral intentions in this context. Originality/value This study extends the application of TAM and PMT to the context of wearable health-related technology among an emerging market demographic. It reveals generational resistance to traditional health fear appeals and highlights the importance of self-efficacy and perceived usefulness in shaping health-tech adoption.