A Study on Factors Affecting Seniors’ Intention to Use Smart Devices

South Korea is facing the issue of population decline alongside an increase in the elderly population. Changes in population structure have occurred due to a decrease in birth rates and an increase in the elderly population. The term “senior” typically refers to individuals aged 65 and above and is officially recognized in various countries and cultures. This study will use the term senior. The utilization of non-face-to-face methods, such as online education, remote work, online shopping, and telemedicine, has increased significantly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of these changes, there has been a growing desire among seniors to use smart devices for their social activities, convenience in daily life, hobbies, and health management. This study aims to empirically examine the factors influencing seniors’ intention to use smart devices. It involved reviewing previous studies on seniors’ characteristics and the characteristics of smart devices, followed by the design of a suitable model and hypothesis setting. The research model was based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and incorporated the concepts of innovativeness, self-efficacy, social influence, and convenience into perceived usefulness, along with the concept of absorption. The analysis results confirmed the reliability and validity of the variables, and it was validated that innovativeness, self-efficacy, social influence, convenience, perceived usefulness, and absorption influence seniors’ intention to use smart devices. Lastly, this study suggests a policy and social direction that enhances seniors’ satisfaction with the use of smart devices tailored to seniors’ characteristics.