Stability and Determinants of Social Acceptance of Innovative Sustainable Technologies. Evidence from a Two-Wave Panel Study

This study investigates the role of attitudinal factors in shaping the acceptance of emerging sustainable technology. Using panel data from two waves of surveys conducted in two districts of the city of Cologne, Germany (N = 204), this paper discusses the impact of environmental, prosocial, and technology attitudes, as well as beliefs about the costs and benefits of the technology. The study is part of an interdisciplinary research project, VertiKKA, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Autoregressive and cross-lagged structural equation models (SEM) are applied to examine the stability of attitudinal factors and their impact on the acceptance of the sustainable technology. The results of the study suggest that while most of the attitudinal factors analyzed show stable autoregressive effects, the acceptance of sustainable technology is more volatile. We also find that general attitudes have a significant impact on beliefs about benefits, while only general environmental attitudes have an effect on beliefs about costs. Both beliefs function as total mediators between general and specific attitudes, with benefits having a greater influence on acceptance than cost aspects. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering attitudinal factors in understanding the acceptance of sustainable technologies. The results provide insights that could inform the design and promotion of sustainable technologies, as well as help policymakers and practitioners to develop effective strategies to increase their adoption.