Adoption of ATM Technology by Elderly Users

Abstract

Technological innovations have a potential to enhance the lives of older individuals by allowing them to maintain their independence or to be minimally dependent on various types of assistance. Many of these innovations could also help ease the load on social service agencies and on caregivers to the elderly. However, we find that a large number of older individuals resist using these technologies. This paper looks at one of the most prevalent consumer technologies, the automated teller machine (ATM), and investigates the characteristics affecting its adoption by elderly consumers. The characteristics, which were explored by means of a survey, included demographic, psychological, and attitudinal variables. Findings from this study revealed that fewer elderly used ATM technology and that users and nonusers differed in their mechanical reasoning ability, sociability, and a number of attitudinal variables.