Social acceptability of innovation: A systematic literature review and future research directions

Social acceptability of innovation has been a rapidly growing field of study over the past three decades. However, this domain remains characterized by fragmented knowledge, which impedes both theoretical advancements and practical applications. In particular, the absence of a unified framework prevents the integration of diverse perspectives from existing research, limiting our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the innovation evaluation process. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) of 169 studies published between 1989 and 2022 across three databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar). Using the SPAR-4-SLR protocol, we collected, organized, and evaluated the literature. Bibliometric analyses were conducted to map the field, revealing five key themes, which were further examined using the TCCM (Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methodology) framework. This integrated approach provides a unified perspective on the field while paving the way for new directions in future research.