User acceptance of urban air mobility sharing services: Evidence from the Netherlands

This study examines the factors shaping user acceptance of shared urban air mobility (UAM) to combat transportation externalities. The proposed framework encompasses the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology along with additional factors, including trust, environmental awareness, perceived social status, and technophilia. A trust model is incorporated to capture perceived benefits and risks, regulatory support, and facilitating conditions. A multigroup analysis illustrates the moderating effects between people living in urban and non-urban areas. Empirical findings from the Netherlands reveal the crucial factors of user acceptance, and to our surprise, environmental awareness negatively impacts adoption. While price value and hedonic motivation are more important for non-urban residents, facilitating conditions, trust, and perceived social status are especially influential for urban residents. These results offer a refined explanation of UAM adoption in its early stages and underscore the need for differentiated strategies to cultivate user acceptance.