MODELLING THE ANTECEDENTS THAT EXPLAIN GENERATION Y STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD SMARTPHONE BRANDS

Abstract

It is critical to have a firm grasp of the concept "attitude" and the antecedents that explain attitudes toward smartphones. The study's objective was to develop a model of the factors that influence Generation Y students' opinions regarding cellphones. The study addressed the research problem and its aims through the use of quantitative methodologies and analysis. A self-administered questionnaire (sample, N = 275) was used to collect data from two public higher education institutions in South Africa, one in Gauteng province and the other in the Free State state. Confirmatory factor analysis, more precisely structural equation modelling via AMOS, was utilised to validate and model the antecedents of Generation Y attitudes regarding smartphones. The study examined seven characteristics that may have an effect on or impact Generation Y's attitudes regarding smartphones. Four of the seven variables identified as antecedents explaining Generation Y attitudes toward smartphones were statistically significant and are thus deemed antecedents explaining Generation Y attitudes toward smartphones. Businesses that manufacture and market smartphones should therefore pay close attention to these four characteristics as they build goods and marketing strategies aimed at influencing consumer attitudes (in this example, Generation Y) toward smartphone brands.