From “Stolen Data” to “Own Private Tutor”: Reasons of U.S. Higher Education Students’ (Non-)Adoption of ChatGPT

This study explores U.S. higher education students’ motivations and hesitations regarding the use of ChatGPT for academic purposes. Drawing on a large corpus of open-ended survey responses, we conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of students who reported using ChatGPT and those who reported not using it. Guided by Uses and Gratifications theory, we identify nine themes that capture students’ reasons for use (e.g., learning and tutoring, content generation, brainstorming, expressing ideas, feedback and validation, research support, immediacy and convenience, task management, and exploration and entertainment) and six themes that capture reasons for non-use (e.g., ethical concerns, lack of need or interest, limited awareness, accuracy/privacy concerns, and moral opposition and principled resistance against AI). Findings show that students approach ChatGPT (or not) as a flexible support tool whose perceived value is context-dependent and shaped by academic demands, perceived risks, and values about authentic learning.