The Influence of Security Perceptions and Self-efficacy on Adult Consumers' Adoption of Home-based Internet of Things in the United State

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore security constructs and their influence on consumer adoption of home-based Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Although mobile device control and home-based IoT technology are proliferating, consumers are reluctant to adopt the technology because of perceptions of security risks. The research questions were designed to examine how perceived susceptibility to a threat, perceived severity of a threat, perceived threat, self-efficacy, and avoidance motivation influenced consumers' willingness to adopt IoT devices. The survey distribution resulted in a total of 394 participants, of which 129 resulted as a valid random sample. The sample contained 55% female and 45% male respondents, of which 88% were under the age of 56, and 100% of the total sample owned some type of IoT device at the time of the survey. Analysis of the data was performed using multiple regression analysis in conjunction with Pearson correlation for hypothesis testing. The results showed a significant correlation between perceived susceptibility to a threat, perceived severity of a threat, perceived threat, and self-efficacy to use the device. However, 33.2% of device avoidance motivation (adoption) was best predicted by consumers' perceived susceptibility and perceived threat that the device presents to their privacy. Consumers' self-efficacy to implement the device and their perceived severity of attack had little effect on predicting avoidance motivation. Therefore, the recommendation is that the industry focus on building more security into the product and increasing customer self-efficacy through education and support services to promote the adoption of IoT devices among consumers.