Individual perception vs. structural context: Searching for multilevel determinants of social acceptance of new science and technology across 34 countries

Abstract

This study analyzes variations that occurred between individual and contextual factors in an individual's acceptance of science and technology (S&T). Acceptance of S&T is not fully determined by individual thought. Rather, it is also determined by social context. Hence, an individual's acceptance could be explained by both individual and contextual predictors, rather than by just one or the other predictor. Based on data collected from 31,390 respondents in 34 countries, we applied multilevel modeling to test the effects of individual and contextual factors on individuals' acceptance of S&T. For the predictors required for the multilevel analysis in explaining the acceptance of S&T, we adopted perceived risk/benefit, knowledge, and affective image at the individual level, and economic state (gross domestic product per capita), religiosity, and post-materialism at the contextual level.