Citizens' acceptance of prefabricated housing in China: the role of procedural justice and uncertainty

PurposeThis study explores citizens' acceptance of prefabricated housing (PH) from the perspective of socio-demographic and psychological factors, aiming to reveal the formation of PH acceptance and realize a sustainable development of PH.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposed hypotheses drawing on procedural justice theory and uncertainty management theory. A survey of 245 respondents was conducted, and the collected data was analyzed in a stepwise multiple regression model. Then, the psychological influencing mechanism was demonstrated using a mediation model.FindingsResults of the data analysis manifested that citizens' acceptance of PH was influenced by socio-demographic and psychological factors, where psychological factors had more significant effects on acceptance than socio-demographic factors. The psychological mechanism was examined by verifying the mediating role of uncertainty between procedural justice and the acceptance of PH. Furthermore, a scientific strategy for developing PH was proposed based on this empirical study.Originality/valueThis study extends the knowledge of procedural justice theory by investigating people's acceptance in the PH context. This study is also one of the first studies to unveil the psychological mechanism toward a high-cost product with invisible technological innovation. This study contributes to the literature by introducing uncertainty management theory to a controversial issue, examining and expanding its application in a complicated context. Moreover, results highlight the positive influence of fair processes on controversial issues.