There is a significant discrepancy between explanations of resistance to new technology in German public discourse and the results of empirical research. While disapproval is attributed to personal characteristics, social scientists focus on the socio-technical context of innovation processes. Few studies have investigated the effect of personality traits on the approval or rejection of technology. The TechnikRadar 2018 is a survey based on a random sample of 2,002 respondents. It is designed to empirically explain attitudes toward technology in Germany and contains the Big Five scale, which measures personal traits. Using these data, we analyzed the influence of personal characteristics on attitudes toward technology and found that this predictor had only marginal explanatory power. This is significant for the development and implementation of technology.
Zwick et al. (Thu,) studied this question.