Silver Generation’s Acceptance Of Digital Platforms For Person-Centered Services: A Mixed-Methods Study Of The Roles Of Trust, Organizational Purpose, And User Integration

Abstract

The study examines factors influencing trust and the intention to use digital platforms for person-centered services by the silver generation (age 60+). The study shows to what extent different organizational purposes (for-profit, non-profit) of a platform operator and the possibility of user integration in innovation processes and the operational control and supervision influence trust in the platform operator and the intention to use digital service platforms. A three-factorial online experiment was conducted with 250 potential users of digital service platforms. Additionally, 20 participants were interviewed for qualitative insights. The results provide empirical evidence that trust largely explains the intention to use digital service platforms. While non-profit operators benefit from a higher level of trust, the control and supervision function of users may compensate for trust deficits of for-profit operators. Surprisingly, users’ involvement in the innovation process reduces trust, which is discussed considering the qualitative interviews.