Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Social Apps: (UTAU-SA): The Role of Technology in the Promotion of Recycling Behavior

One of the biggest global problems is the amount of waste discarded and its negative impact. Recycling behavior is a key element in solving this problem, and new information and communication technologies can be a means to promote this desired pindrosocial behavior. The objective of this research is to identify the key factors that condition the acceptance and use of a mobile application to promote recycling behaviors. The present study with a sample of 1.200 Spanish individuals, explain intention to use the mobile application through a new application of the UTAUT model, adding two new constructs, impact awareness and desire for notoriety, and how this intention to use this new application may influence individual’s intention to recycle. Results have been analyzed with variance-based structural equation modelling (PLS). The model has a R2 of 0.703 for Intention to use mobile app and 0.378 for recycling intention, and a predictive capacity Q2 of 0.557 and 0.298 respectively. The results indicate that: 1) the key determinants of behavioral intention are, in order of importance, Impact awareness (=0.541), Desire for notoriety (=0.259) and Facilitating conditions (=0.187); 2) there is a direct and positive effect of the intention to use the application on the intention to recycle (=0.615). The results contribute to understand how technology should be designed to promote prosocial behavior.