Once you choose hope: early adoption of green technology

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Jan;27(3):3271-3280. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-07251-y. Epub 2019 Dec 14.

Abstract

Understanding why people differ in adopting green technologies is of paramount importance. Regardless of the current understanding of the factors affecting adoption, the overall willingness to adopt new green technologies is still low. The present paper argues that cognitive, goal-oriented hope potentially prompts the early adoption of green technologies. Unlike socio-economic factors that are difficult to change, hope and motivation levels may be altered by using policy tools and education. A theoretical model is proposed and empirically tested. Regression analysis with interactions of 238 self-administered questionnaires is presented. The results support the theoretical model, as personal motivation, environmental motivation, and hope exhibit a statistically significant contribution to the early adoption of green technologies. Furthermore, hope levels are found to have a significant moderating effect on the positive association between environmental motivation and early adoption. This study takes an initial step towards revealing the important role of hope in adopting green technologies.

Keywords: Environmental motivation; Green technology; Hope; Personal motivation; Technology adoption.

MeSH terms

  • Models, Theoretical
  • Motivation*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Technology* / methods