A multilevel analysis of adoption intention of travel information on social media: Evidence from China

The rise of social media expands a new channel for transportation authorities to release travel information. In order to maximize the use of social media for transportation demand management, it is necessary to explore the determinants of adoption intention of travel information on social media. This study integrated the theory of planned behavior and the technology acceptance model to propose a multilevel structural equation model (MSEM). The model was verified based on survey data collected in Chongqing, China. The results reveal the intraclass correlation in adoption intention of travel information on social media. There are different interaction relationships between adoption intention and its influencing factors at the individual level and the group level. At the individual level, travelers are willing to adopt travel information mainly depending on the benefits it brings. But at the group level, the reputation of social media for disseminating travel information is the primary factor affecting travelers' adoption intention. Finally, specific suggestions for the transportation authorities and implications for future research were discussed.