Bridging the divide: Using UTAUT to predict multigenerational tablet adoption practices

•We surveyed a large crosssectional sample diverse in age and technology experience.•Generational differences exist across UTAUT determinants.•The most salient gaps are between the oldest and youngest generations.•We predicted intention with age and two user experience variables as moderators.•Only effort expectancy and facilitating conditions predict tablet use intention. This study examined the “Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology” (UTAUT) in the context of tablet devices across multiple generations. We tested the four UTAUT determinants, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, to determine their contributions for predicting behavioral intention to use tablets with age, gender, and user experience as moderators. 899 respondents aged 19–99 completed the survey. We found consistent generational differences in UTAUT determinants, most frequently between the oldest and youngest generations. Effort expectancy and facilitating conditions were the only determinants that positively predicted tablet use intentions after controlling for age, gender, and tablet use. We also discuss the implications of ageism and gender discrimination of technology adoption. Finally, we argue that our findings can be extended to create effective training programs for the teaching, learning, and adoption of new technologies in a variety of organizational settings.