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Technology Acceptance Model (core items)

TAM
stemsocial sciencespsychologyFree for research use

Permission: Free for research use. Free for non-commercial academic research, with no licence fee. Cite the original publication.

The original Davis (1989) 12-item scale measuring two determinants of technology acceptance: Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), six items each. The most widely-cited instrument in information-systems research. Item stems should be customized to name the specific system under study.

Items
12
Response format
7-point likelihood scale (extremely likely to extremely unlikely)
Version
1.0
Subscales
2

Ready-to-cite methods sentence

Technology acceptance was measured with the 12-item Technology Acceptance Model scale (Davis, 1989), assessing Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use on a 7-point likelihood scale. Subscale scores were the mean of six items each (PU α = .98, PEOU α = .94 for the six-item scales in Davis's Study 2).

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Reliability & validation

Notes
In Study 1 (10-item scales), PU α = .97 and PEOU α = .91; in Study 2 (the final six-item scales), PU α = .98 and PEOU α = .94.
Validation population
IBM employees (Study 1, N = 112) and MBA students (Study 2, N = 40) in Davis (1989)
Cronbach's α
0.94–0.98

Subscales

Perceived UsefulnessPerceived Ease of Use

Response anchors

Extremely unlikely · Quite unlikely · Slightly unlikely · Neither likely nor unlikely · Slightly likely · Quite likely · Extremely likely

Known limitations

Item wording must be customized: replace "[the system]" with the specific technology being evaluated. The TAM is often administered as a hypothetical acceptance instrument before use and again as actual-use evaluation after; report the administration context. Extensions such as TAM2, TAM3, and UTAUT add antecedent constructs but are not included in this core 12-item form.

Original citation

Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340.

https://doi.org/10.2307/249008

Questions researchers ask

What does the TAM measure?

The original Davis (1989) 12-item scale measuring two determinants of technology acceptance: Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), six items each. The most widely-cited instrument in information-systems research. Item stems should be customized to name the specific system under study.

How many items does the TAM have?

The Technology Acceptance Model (core items) (TAM) has 12 items across 2 subscales: Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use.

Is the TAM free to use?

The TAM is free to use for non-commercial academic research. You don't need to pay a license fee, but you should always cite the original publication.

Is the TAM reliable?

Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.94–0.98. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.

Who developed the TAM, and how do I cite it?

Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008

Or track new research mentioning TAM as it publishes

Related scales

SUSSystem Usability ScaleAHSAdult Dispositional Hope ScaleAMS-C 28Academic Motivation Scale — College VersionBFI-2Big Five Inventory-2BFI-44Big Five InventoryBFNEBrief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale

Library entry verified September 2026. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.