Anxiety (Technological)

What it measures

A four-item dispositional measure assessing general apprehensiveness toward technology and the tendency to avoid it. Items capture the perception of technology as confusing and unfamiliar, the avoidance of technology due to discomfort, and the fear of committing irreversible errors. Unlike context-specific technology anxiety scales, this instrument measures a relatively stable consumer trait that predisposes individuals to resist or avoid technological interactions across situations.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• I feel apprehensive about using technology.
• Technical terms sound like confusing jargon to me.
• I have avoided technology because it is unfamiliar to me.
• I hesitate to use most forms of technology for fear of making mistakes I cannot correct.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Multiple reliability estimates across studies and applications: α = .93 (Meuter et al. 2005, both studies); α = .896 (Keh & Pang 2010, Study 3, Journal of Marketing 74(2), 55–70); α = .85 (Lakshmanan & Krishnan 2011, Journal of Marketing 75(6), 105–123). VALIDITY: Meuter et al. (2005) tested a full measurement model; factor loadings were significant with acceptable overall fit, supporting convergent validity. Adapted from Raub (1981). NOTE: This is a general trait measure of technology anxiety, in contrast to the context-specific version (ANXT1) by Collier & Sherrell (2010). Application by Keh & Pang (2010) involved Chinese-language data; translation effects should be considered.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Meuter, Matthew L., Mary Jo Bitner, Amy L. Ostrom, and Stephen W. Brown (2005). Choosing among alternative service delivery modes: An investigation of customer trial of self-service technologies. Journal of Marketing, 69(2), 61–83.

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