An empirical study on determinants of web based question‐answer services adoption

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the driving factors of web based question‐answer services (WBQAS) adoption. As an emerging knowledge acquisition method and service there are currently few studies addressing the antecedents of the service's acceptance, in particular concerning Chinese users. Design/methodology/approach – This paper employs the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology as its theoretical background and applies it to the field of WBQAS. A survey was conducted. Findings – Based on 169 useful questionnaires the results show that both performance expectancy and effort expectancy are significant predictors of the intention to use WBQAS. Additionally behavioural intention, together with facilitating intention, significantly influences the actual use of WBQAS. Social influence has no significant impact on the intention to use the service. Originality/value – As research on WBQAS is in its infancy this paper is among the first in the field, in particular regarding Chinese users. In addition the research applied the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model to the context of WBQAS and validated the adoption model using structural equation modelling.