The origins of the TAEG questionnaire
Electronic devices have become ubiquitous in daily life, requiring people to acquire skills for effective interaction with technology. Assessing individuals’ competencies and attitudes towards technology is crucial for researchers and practitioners developing and evaluating existing and new technologies. The German TAEG [1] questionnaire (Affinity for Technology- Electronic Gadgets) is widely used for this purpose, as it assesses general affinity for technology as a multi-dimensional construct on four subscales of (1) enthusiasm for technology, (2) self-assessed competence in using technology, (3) perceived positive consequences of technology and (4) perceived negative consequences of technology.
Updating the TAEG questionnaire
Karrer and colleagues published the first 19-item version of the TAEG in 2009 [1]. Since then, the technological landscape has undergone considerable change, and the questionnaire has received its well-deserved update, stepping into the modern era. In a 2022 set of studies by Karrer-Gauss, Roesler & Siebert [2, 3], the items of the original TAEG questionnaire were updated, as they referenced outdated information sources or points of sale of technology. The TAEG introduction was also updated to reference contemporary electronic devices. This updated 12-item German version of the TAEG was validated on a sample of N=1206 participants [4]. In addition, a 4-item TAEG short version (TAEG-S) was introduced.
Validated translations
Since it is frequently assumed that attitudes towards technology relate to cultural differences (e.g. technology exposure or technology enthusiasm), another main objective of the 2022 set of studies was to systematically explore how users from different cultural backgrounds differ in their affinity for technology. Hence, we extended the TAEG beyond the German language and culture and collected TAEG samples in three additional countries and respective languages: Japan (i.e., Japanese), Mexico (i.e., Spanish), and the US (i.e., English). In each country, a sample of N=300 was collected.
[1] Karrer, K., Glaser, C., Clemens, C., & Bruder, C. (2009). Technikaffinität erfassen–der Fragebogen TA-EG. Der Mensch im Mittelpunkt technischer Systeme, 8(2009), 196-201.
[2] Siebert, F., Roesler, E., & Karrer-Gauss, K. (2022). Validating the TA EG Questionnaire in Germany and Comparing Affinity for Technology between Japan, Mexico, and the USA.
[3] Siebert, F. W., Roesler, E., & Karrer-Gauß, K. (2022). Dataset and Codebook for the TAEG-Affinity for Technology Questionnaire.
[4] Karrer-Gauß, K., Roesler, E., & Siebert, F. W. (2024). Neuauflage des TAEG Fragebogens: Technikaffinität valide und multidimensional mit einer Kurz-oder Langversion erfassen. Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaft, 1-20.