TRUST GAP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENS IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN MACAU

ABSTRACT

WITH THE WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF THE INTERNET AND THE RECENT EFFORTS OF THE MACAU GOVERNMENT TO PROMOTE MOBILE PAYMENTS, WHICH HAVE ENHANCED CONVENIENCE, THIS NEW TRANSACTION MODEL HAS GAINED SIGNIFICANT TRACTION GLOBALLY. HOWEVER, COMPARED TO NEIGHBORING REGIONS, MACAU HAS BEEN SLOWER TO ADOPT IT. A KEY REASON FOR THIS IS A WAITAND- SEE ATTITUDE AMONG CONSUMERS, LIKELY DUE TO UNCERTAINTIES SUCH AS OPERATIONAL COMPLEXITY AND DATA SECURITY. THESE UNCERTAINTIES MUST BE OVERCOME BEFORE NEW TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE ADOPTED BY CONSUMERS. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO CLEAR EVIDENCE TO IDENTIFY WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO CONSUMER RESISTANCE. TO UNDERSTAND THE KEY FACTORS INFLUENCING USER ADOPTION, THIS STUDY EMPLOYS THE UNIFIED THEORY OF ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY (UTAUT) AS ITS FRAMEWORK. FOCUSING ON MACAU CONSUMERS, THIS STUDY INTEGRATES FIVE FACTORS THAT MAY INFLUENCE CONSUMER SPENDING PATTERNS: PERCEIVED USEFULNESS AND CONVENIENCE, PERCEIVED RISK AND SECURITY CONCERNS, SOCIAL INFLUENCE AND SUBJECTIVE NORMS, PROMOTIONAL INCENTIVES AND REWARDS, AND HABIT AND RESISTANCE TO CHANGE. THIS PAPER EXAMINES THE ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF MACAU CONSUMERS TOWARDS MOBILE PAYMENTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON ADOPTION INTENTION. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MOBILE PAYMENTS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON MOBILE PAYMENTS ARE ANALYZED THROUGH THE LITERATURE REVIEW AND EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS. RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT A POSITIVE USER PERCEPTION, DRIVEN BY HIGH USEFULNESS AND STRONG SOCIAL INFLUENCE, CAN SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE ADOPTION INTENTION, WHILE PERCEIVED RISK AND INGRAINED HABITS PRESENT SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS TO ADOPTION. AT THE SAME TIME, THIS PAPER ALSO DISCUSSES THE KEY DETERMINANTS THAT AFFECT THE INCENTIVE EFFECT OF PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGNS ON USER BEHAVIOR AND PROVIDES CORRESPONDING OPTIMIZATION SUGGESTIONS FOR STAKEHOLDERS TO ACCELERATE MOBILE PAYMENT INTEGRATION IN MACAU.