XBRL-Enabled, Spreadsheet, or PDF? Factors Influencing Exclusive User Choice of Reporting Technology

U.S. adoption of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL)-enabled technology has been slow. Prior experimental evidence suggests that even when XBRL-enabled technology is available, almost 50 percent of participants do not use it. This study informs AIS researchers on the state of XBRL-enabled technology by using an exclusive choice experimental design to examine (1) which reporting technology nonprofessional investors will choose to complete a financial analysis task (XBRL-enabled, portable document file, or spreadsheet), and (2) why they choose the specific technology. Findings indicate that 66 percent of nonprofessional investors chose XBRL-enabled technology, while 34 percent chose spreadsheets. Participants who chose the former perceived that it reduces the time to complete the task (i.e., increases task efficiency), while participants who chose the latter indicated their choice was driven by prior technology experience. Study results have implications for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), researchers examining nonprofessional investor behavior, user choice literature, and XBRL-enabled technology adoption.