UNH Research Finds Political Beliefs Shape Trust in Smart Technologies
Whether consumers trust smart technologies like Ring doorbells or Amazon Alexa may depend not just on the technology itself, but also on their political beliefs, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire.
A study led by Shuili Du, professor of marketing at the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, examined how consumers respond to “community-focused” smart products — technologies that rely on shared data to create benefits for a broader group of users. Published in the Journal of Business Research, the study found that conservatives were more open to sharing their data with these technologies, while liberals showed more caution.
The research grew out of Du’s interests in the benefits and risks of emerging technologies, particularly around artificial intelligence and data privacy. As smart products like voice assistants, navigation apps, and home security systems become more common and increasingly rely on collecting and sharing personal data, Du’s interested in how consumers weigh those benefits against potential concerns.
“We were interested in understanding how consumers differ, and political ideology felt especially relevant,” Du says. “Given the level of polarization today, it’s something that shapes how people see the world, so we wanted to explore how it might also influence how they respond to technology.”
The researchers first conducted a field survey examining how consumers use and perceive smart products Alexa and Waze (navigation sharing), which differ naturally on the dimension of personal verses community focus, then ran controlled experiments where people evaluated the same smart device — a video doorbell — with different messaging, one focused on personal benefits and the other on community benefits.
When smart products were framed around helping a broader community, conservatives were overwhelmingly more likely to embrace them. Liberals, on the other hand, showed more concern about sharing more personal data.
The researchers found the difference wasn’t due to technology itself — but perceptions about how smart products collect and share data. When evaluating the same smart product, participants diverged in their concerns about data sharing depending on whether it emphasized personal benefits or broader community benefits.
“You might expect that a focus on community benefit would appeal more to liberals, since it’s about contributing to the greater good,” Du says. “But we found the opposite. Liberals were more concerned about the risks of data collection, while conservatives were more comfortable with it and more accepting of sharing information with companies or institutions.”
Du says the differences may come from how people view risks and responsibilities. Conservatives often value order and reducing uncertainty, leading to greater comfort with data-sharing for community benefit. While liberals typically focus on protecting individuals and avoiding harm, making them more sensitive to privacy concerns.
Shuili Du
With data privacy identified as a major factor in consumer adoption of smart products, Du says the findings could serve as a guide for companies as they design and market these products.
“Companies need to be more transparent about how they collect and use data, and make sure they have strong safeguards in place,” Du says.
Additionally, Du suggests companies could benefit from tailoring communications about smart technologies to consumers with different political beliefs. Liberals respond more to individual focus and harm reduction, while conservatives are more motivated by group loyalty and collective benefits.
On a larger scale, Du says the research is important because it comes at a time when smart technologies are rapidly expanding — from self-driving vehicles to home robotics.
“Smart products are only going to become more common, and they will collect more and more information about us — not just what we say online, but where we go and how we live our daily lives,” Du says. “Using these products often means giving up some level of privacy in exchange for convenience or safety; understanding how people think about that tradeoff is going to be increasingly important.”
Du says future research could look at how consumers think about privacy, noting that people may be comfortable sharing certain types of information but not others. She also points to the need to better understand how different features of smart technologies — such as user control, customization, and the type of community they connect to — influence adoption.
Co-authors on the research include Min Zhao, associate professor of marketing at Boston College, and Sankar Sen, professor of marketing at Baruch College.