Choi, J. (2026). Technology–user–environment framework for assessing smart city technology adoption: Insights from Sejong National Pilot Smart City. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 222, 124380.
Abstract
This study aims to develop a comprehensive research model that examines citizens' intentions to adopt smart city technologies in the Sejong National Pilot Smart City (Sejong). A new theoretical framework that incorporates technology, user, and environment (TUE) factors is proposed and validated through a structural equation model using data collected from 192 citizens. Additionally, multi-group analysis (MGA) is conducted, considering citizens' age, gender, and income. The results reveal that user-related factors exert more influence on technology acceptance than technological and environmental factors. Specifically, self-efficacy, relative advantages, trust in the government, perceived usefulness, and customer innovativeness emerge as essential factors affecting the adoption of smart city services. Furthermore, the factors vary by age, gender, and income. This paper is among the first empirical studies to assess citizens' acceptance of smart city technology and their demographic characteristics using the TUE framework. Government managers and service providers can reference these findings when making decisions about offering smart city services to the citizens of Sejong from a comprehensive TUE perspective. Additionally, this study provides insights for tailoring smart city services based on age and gender characteristics, and the results can serve as a reference for planning pilot smart cities with similar characteristics to Sejong.