| dc.description.abstract | This study examines elderly in Norway and their adoption of welfare technology to better their life situation, making it possible for them to stay and live longer in their home. Previous research on elderly and their adoption of technology has mostly been conducted in East-Asian markets, with limited research focusing on elderly in Europe and almost none from the Nordic countries. The starting point of this research looks into elderly and identifying different variables that contribute to technology adaption probability. One of the focuses will be on what factors like desired functions are critical, and if these can contribute to an intention to buy or try smart furniture. The research questions in this study are “Which variables are crucial in the decision making process with regards to elderly attitude toward technology adaption probability” and “Which other variables are crucial with regards to elderly and technology adaption probability”.
Quantitative research was used to look into attitude and intention by elderly and technology. Before conducting the quantitative research, some interviews were conducted to contribute to the development of the questions. The finding from the quantitative research revealed several crucial factors influencing the choice when adopting welfare technology.
One of most interesting findings from the study show which functions are most attractive to integrate into a smart furniture. The findings show that it is essential for the customers to have the options to choose which desired functions are relevant to them. Also the role of perceived usefulness and the subjective norm is discussed.
For the research, three payment options were provided. Here the results show that having the option to buy or a subscription based on user time of the smart furniture would be relevant. When asked, respondents were not interested in acquiring smart furniture, related to their relatively young age. Previous research shows that elderly are not interested in acquiring a product or service before the need arise. It was therefore interesting to see that the option to acquire welfare technology would influence the choice if it stood between staying at home with assistance through welfare technology or move to a nursing home. | nb_NO |
