Information systems & technology
Intention to use technology scale: TAM, UTAUT, ECM
- Concept
- Behavioral Intention to Use
- Field
- Information systems & technology
- Scales in the library
- 4
- Items
- 11
Intention to use is the degree to which a person plans to use a technology, app or service in the near future. It is the central dependent variable of TAM (Davis, 1989), UTAUT (Venkatesh et al., 2003) and UTAUT2 (2012); for existing users, Bhattacherjee's (2001) ECM measures continuance intention. Common topics in Vietnam: intention to use e-wallets, digital banking, online learning apps, ChatGPT for study, and ride-hailing services.
Comparing the scales
| Scale | Author (year) | Items | Response format | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Intention to Use (BI) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) scale | Venkatesh & Davis (2000) | 2 | Likert 7-point | Choose this when the model follows TAM and respondents have not used, or have just begun using, the system. |
| Behavioral Intention (BI) UTAUT scale | Venkatesh et al. (2003) | 3 | Likert 7-point | Choose this when the model follows UTAUT; the items include a time frame of the next [n] months. |
| Behavioral Intention (BI) UTAUT2 scale | Venkatesh et al. (2012) | 3 | Likert 7-point | Choose this for UTAUT2 with consumers already familiar with the service; the items stress continuing and frequent use. |
| Continuance Intention (CI) IS continuance model (ECM) | Vedadi & Warkentin (2016) | 3 | Likert 7-point | Choose this when respondents already use the service and the question is whether they continue or quit; includes a reverse-worded item CI3. |
Items of each scale
Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or
[brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.
Behavioral Intention to Use (BI) · Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| BI1 | Assuming I have access to the system, I intend to use it. |
| BI2 | Given that I have access to the system, I predict that I would use it. |
Source: Venkatesh & Davis (2000). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) scale.
Behavioral Intention (BI) · UTAUT scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| BI1 | I intend to use [system] in the next <n> months. |
| BI2 | I predict I would use [system] in the next <n> months. |
| BI3 | I plan to use [system] in the next <n> months. |
Source: Venkatesh et al. (2003). Response scale, licence and APA reference: UTAUT scale.
Behavioral Intention (BI) · UTAUT2 scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| BI1 | I intend to continue using [mobile Internet] in the future. |
| BI2 | I will always try to use [mobile Internet] in my daily life. |
| BI3 | I plan to continue to use [mobile Internet] frequently. |
Source: Venkatesh et al. (2012). Response scale, licence and APA reference: UTAUT2 scale.
Continuance Intention (CI) · IS continuance model (ECM)
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| CI1 | I intend to continue using [mobile banking applications] rather than discontinue its use. |
| CI2 | My intentions are to continue using [mobile banking applications] than use any alternative means (traditional or web-based banking). |
| CI3 (R) | If I could, I would like to discontinue my use of [mobile banking applications]. |
Source: Vedadi & Warkentin (2016). Response scale, licence and APA reference: IS continuance model (ECM).
(R): reverse-coded item; recode before analysis. IS continuance model (ECM): 1–7 scale: new score = 1 + 7 − score = 8 − score; 1–5 scale: new score = 1 + 5 − score = 6 − score.
Tips
- Separate non-users from users with a screening question. Intention to use suits non-users; continuance intention suits users.
- The TAM scale has only 2 items. If you run CFA, add 1 item from the UTAUT scale to reach 3 items and cite the source.
- Replace [n] in the UTAUT scale with a specific number of months (usually 3 or 6) and keep it the same across items.
- ECM item CI3 is reverse-worded. Reverse-score it before analysis.
Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do intention to use and continuance intention differ?
Intention to use concerns adopting a new technology. Continuance intention concerns whether existing users keep using or quit. Bhattacherjee (2001) showed these two stages have different drivers, so choose the scale by your survey population.
Should I use TAM or UTAUT2 for an e-wallet study?
UTAUT2 was built for consumers and fits e-wallets better, adding hedonic motivation, price value and habit. TAM is leaner if the questionnaire must be short.
Do I need to measure actual usage behavior?
Not required. Most theses stop at intention because cross-sectional data makes behavior hard to measure. If you want to, UTAUT2 has a use behavior frequency scale.