TY - JOUR AB - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to answer two research questions which are “What are key factors which influence Chinese to adopt mobile technology?” and “Do these key factors differ from factors which are identified from western context?”. Design/methodology/approach– The findings from a pilot study with 45 in-depth interviews are used to develop questionnaires and test across 800 residents from the three research cities. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling together with multi-group analysis. Findings– The data suggest eight important concepts, i.e. utilitarian expectation, hedonic expectation, status gains, status loss avoidance, normative influence, external influence, cost, and quality concern, are influential factors affecting users’ intentions to adopt 3G mobile technology. Differences are found between the samples in the three research cities in the effect of hedonic expectation, status gains, status loss avoidance, and normative influence on mobile technology adoption intention. Research limitations/implications– As the stability of intentions may change over time, only measuring intentions might be inadequate in predicting actual adoption behaviors. However, the focus on potential users is thought to be appropriate, given that the development of 3G is still in its infancy in China. Originality/value– Previous research into information technology adoption among Chinese users has not paid attention to regional diversity. Some research considered China as a large single market and some was conducted in only one province or one city. Culturally, China is a heterogeneous country. VL - 28 IS - 1 SN - 0959-3845 DO - 10.1108/ITP-10-2013-0187 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-10-2013-0187 AU - Song Jinzhu AU - Sawang Sukanlaya AU - Drennan Judy AU - Andrews Lynda PY - 2015 Y1 - 2015/01/01 TI - Same but different? Mobile technology adoption in China T2 - Information Technology & People PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 107 EP - 132 Y2 - 2024/09/19 ER -