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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Built Environ.
Sec. Transportation and Transit Systems
Volume 11 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2025.1536080

Perspectives of the Elderly Toward Thai High-Speed Rail Promotion: Combination of Theory of Planned Behavior and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

Provisionally accepted
Fareeda Watcharamaisakul Fareeda Watcharamaisakul 1Thanakorn Phojaem Thanakorn Phojaem 1Thanapong Champahom Thanapong Champahom 2Sonita Sum Sonita Sum 1Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao 1*Panuwat Wisutwattanasak Panuwat Wisutwattanasak 1Adisorn Dangbut Adisorn Dangbut 1Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha 1
  • 1 Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
  • 2 Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Today, the population growth rate in Thailand is very slow. In particular, the number of elderly people in Thailand is notably increasing. Moreover, the aging society still precedes the acceptance of the development of perpetual technology. However, the government is formulating a support plan for a high-speed rail (HSR) system, a method for the development of the public transportation system for better livelihood and efficient reduction of traffic problems, which may affect the use intent of the elderly. The factors that influence HSR use will support social coherence and be a good immunity to adaptation to cope with the development of this technology in the future for the elderly. This study aims to develop a perspective model of the influence of HSR use among the elderly by applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) combined with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Data were collected through a questionnaire survey on 3,200 elderly people aged 60 years in four regions in Thailand. Analysis was conducted using the structural equation model. The result indicated that all factors of TPB and UTAUT significantly influenced the behavioral intention of the HSR use of the elderly. The factor with the largest influence was attitude toward technology use followed by subjective norm and facilitating conditions. Moreover, performance and effort expectancies play statistically significant roles in the attitude toward technology use.

    Keywords: Structural Equation Modeling, Mediator, Intention, policymakers, psychological theories

    Received: 28 Nov 2024; Accepted: 08 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Watcharamaisakul, Phojaem, Champahom, Sum, Jomnonkwao, Wisutwattanasak, Dangbut and Ratanavaraha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.