Acceptability and 5G in the Medical Field: The Impact of the Level of Information

The issues around 5G are considerable: sovereignty, smart city, industry 4.0, energy, connected healthcare. However, 5G is currently raising many questions from the general public and professionals. To better understand these questions related to acceptability, a quantitative experimental study was conducted with 81 healthcare professionals, via an online questionnaire. The objective is to analyse the impact of the level of information on acceptability. The participants were divided into two experimental groups, confronted either with a low level of information or a high level of information about 5G. Several dimensions were analyzed (perceived usefulness and usability, intention to use, harmfulness and perceived environmental impact). The results show a significant influence of the level of information related to 5G on the number of "I don’t know" responses participants. More broadly, this study demonstrates the influence of respondents’ level of information on their ability to express an opinion. These results provides insights for the construction of survey and public policies around 5G and new technologies acceptability.