An Empirical Investigation on the Influence of Temporal Distance on the Acceptance of Innovations - Using the Example of Urban Air Mobility
Upon reviewing different approaches to explain the acceptance of innovations, it becomes apparent that the temporal proximity or distance of innovations, the possible effects of which could be neglected, are not considered sufficiently. The question is whether the influence on the acceptance can be observed by high or low temporal distance. This assumption is motivated by the implications of the Construal Level Theory, which suggests such an influence of temporal proximity or distance of an event on the evaluation. The concept of Urban Air Mobility was used as an example of application. To test this assumption, the participants (N = 369) of an online survey were confronted with a temporally close or distant condition and asked to complete a questionnaire designed on the basis of UTAUT2 and other measurement aspects. The results showed that the different conditions had an influence on the time estimation of the participants. Furthermore a significant influence of the moderating effect of the time distance could be determined for the factor safety concerns.