The Effect of Warm-Glow on User Behavioral Intention to Adopt Technology: Extending the UTAUT2 Model

TL;DR

This paper extends the UTAUT2 model by incorporating warm-glow effects, demonstrating its significant influence on technology adoption decisions through experimental analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a novel UTAUT2 + WG model that includes internal and external warm-glow constructs, validated via experimental data analysis.

Findings

Warm-glow significantly affects user behavior

Internal warm-glow has the strongest influence

Hedonic motivation and performance expectancy are also important

Abstract

In this study, we enhance the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) by incorporating the warm-glow phenomenon to clarify its impact on user decisions regarding the adoption of technology. We introduce two additional constructs aimed at capturing both the external and internal aspects of warm-glow, thus creating what we refer to as the UTAUT2 + WG model. To evaluate the effectiveness of our model, we conducted an experimental study in which participants were presented with a scenario describing a hypothetical technology designed to evoke warm-glow sensations. Using the partial least squares method, we analyzed the collected data to assess our expanded model. Our findings indicate that warm-glow significantly influences user behavior, with the internal aspect having the strongest influence, followed by hedonic motivation, performance expectancy, and finally the external aspect of warm-glow. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research, acknowledging its limitations, and suggesting directions for future exploration.