The role of ethics in technology acceptance: analysing resistance to new health technologies on the example of a COVID-19 contact-tracing app

ABSTRACT

New health technologies promise enormous benefits for human wellbeing, yet their diffusion is often inhibited by potential users’ uncertainty about their consequences. Since ethics help individuals to cope with uncertainty, this study investigates the potential of ethics to promote technology acceptance. To this end, we test the influence of typical acceptance predictors (perceived health threat, privacy attitudes, and technology readiness) and two new ethics-related variables (‘ethical optimism’ and ‘perceived governmental responsibility’) on resistance to a government-issued COVID-19 contact-tracing app. Using structural equation modelling, we find significant effects of the typical acceptance predictors, and that ethical optimism and perceived governmental responsibility interact in determining the resistance to the tracing app. The paper highlights the relevance of ethics for the acceptance of new (health) technologies and suggests that the role of ethics is not confined to being a ‘moral watchdog’ but can serve as a powerful lever to promote their acceptance.

KEYWORDS:

• Health technologies
• ethics
• technology acceptance
• uncertainty

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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Notes on contributors

Nick Lin-Hi

Nick Lin-Hi has a Ph.D. in economics and is full professor of Business and Ethics at the University of Vechta, Germany. He is working at the intersection between management, sustainability, and psychology. His current research interest lies in sociotechnical research on radical innovations for sustainable development. He is specialized in experimental studies and is strongly engaged in science communication.

Luca Haensse

Luca Haensse is research associate at the University of Vechta, Germany. His research focuses on interrelationships between business ethics and sustainability-related behaviors as well as on the acceptance of innovations for sustainability.

Lisa Hollands

Lisa Hollands is research associate at the University of Vechta, Germany. Her research lies at the intersection between management and psychology and focuses on (digital) innovations for sustainability.

Igor Blumberg

Igor Blumberg is researcher at the University of Vechta, Germany, where he acquired his Ph.D in Corporate Social Responsibility. His current research is focused on behavioral business ethics and the acceptance of radical innovations for sustainable development.