Culture is the silent force behind slow mobile payment adoption

Cultural values that are often overlooked in technology marketing strategies play a decisive role in consumers' acceptance of mobile payment systems, according to a new study from the University of Surrey

University of Surrey

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Cultural values that are often overlooked in technology marketing strategies play a decisive role in consumers' acceptance of mobile payment systems, according to a new study from the University of Surrey.  

While the increasing usage of smartphones and wallet apps (e.g. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and AliPay) has fuelled global growth in mobile payment, the adoption rate is not uniform across different countries. The paper defines mobile payments as a transfer of funds to purchase goods or services in which a mobile device executes and confirms the payment. In 2022, only 25% of users in the US adopted mobile payments, which is relatively low compared to countries in Asia such as China (72%), Thailand (65%), and India (63%)*.  

The study, published in International Marketing Review, involving a comprehensive survey of 679 respondents in the United States, investigated the relationship between individual-level cultural values and the acceptance of mobile payment technologies.  It shows that cultural value shapes consumers’ behaviour about adopting new technologies, including mobile payment. 

Traditional methods of analysing consumer behaviour often focus solely on national averages, neglecting individual cultural backgrounds that shape decision-making processes. The researchers compared two models: one assessing the direct effects of cultural orientations and another examining their moderating influences on technology acceptance. 

Dr Nima Heirati, Associate Professor of Marketing and co-author of the study at the University of Surrey, said: 

“The findings suggest that businesses must embrace a more nuanced understanding of their customers' individual-level cultural identities to create effective marketing strategies.  

“Ignoring these individual differences can lead to missed opportunities and hinder the growth of mobile payment adoption across various demographics.” 

The research identified five key individual-level cultural orientations—power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation—each of which has a significant impact on how consumers perceive and adopt new technologies. For instance, those with high power distance are more likely to value ease of use and habitual engagement with mobile payments, while individuals with high uncertainty avoidance tend to prioritise trust and reliability in their payment systems. 

Dr Heirati continued: 

“Businesses must tailor their marketing strategies to resonate with specific individual-level cultural values to foster greater acceptance of mobile payments. By understanding that cultural values influence consumers’ beliefs regarding technology, businesses can develop more effective marketing messages that address the unique needs and preferences of different consumer segments.” 

 

[ENDS] 

• Dr Nima Heirati is available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.   

• *Data gathered from Statista 

• The full paper is available in the International Marketing Review 

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Journal

International Marketing Review

DOI

10.1108/imr-09-2023-0223/full/html 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

An investigation of culture’s influence on new technology adoption: the case of mobile payment

 

How African tourism entrepreneurs found a way to weather the storm and thrive after Covid

Tourism entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa are not only weathering the storm of environmental uncertainty but are thriving amid adversity in emerging economies, according to a new study from the University of Surrey

University of Surrey

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Tourism entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa are not only weathering the storm of environmental uncertainty but are thriving amid adversity in emerging economies, according to a new study from the University of Surrey.  

The study investigates the coping strategies used by micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Ghana and Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The paper, published in Tourism Management, gathered data from 844 participants and conducted in-depth interviews with 23 tourism entrepreneurs to understand the lived experiences of business owners as they navigated the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic. 

The study found that problem-focused coping strategies—actions aimed at directly addressing challenges—significantly enhance both resilience and wellbeing among entrepreneurs. These strategies include operational adjustments (such as adjusting their daily work schedule or optimising their time management), resource management optimisations, and creative pricing tactics (such as strategies to respond to inflation or fluctuating market conditions). In contrast, emotion-focused coping strategies, which typically include emotional regulation and seeking social support, were found to be less relevant in managing the immediate challenges faced by these entrepreneurs. 

Dr Manuel Alector Ribeiro, Associate Professor in Tourism Management and lead author of the study at the University of Surrey, said: 

“Entrepreneurs in resource-scarce environments are often underestimated in their capacity to adapt and innovate under pressure.” 

“Our findings highlight their incredible resilience and the proactive strategies they employ, which are essential not only for their survival but also for the broader economic landscape of these nations.” 

Prof Albert Kimbu, Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainability and Wellbeing in the Visitor Economy and co-author of the study at the University of Surrey, said: 

“What we need to understand is that resilience is not just an individual trait but a collective effort. Policymakers and entrepreneurship educators must prioritise training programmes that equip entrepreneurs with problem-solving skills, adaptive decision-making processes, and resilience-building techniques. 

“By fostering community networks and collaborative decision-making, we can build a more robust entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports not just businesses but the livelihoods of entire communities.” 

 

[ENDS]  

Notes to editors 

• Dr Manuel Alector Ribeiro and Prof Albert Kimbu are available for interviews, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange

• The full paper is available in Tourism Management 

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Journal

Tourism Management

Article Title

Resilience in uncertainty: The impact of coping strategies on tourism entrepreneurs’ subjective well-being in sub-Saharan Africa

 

Segregation fuels faster spread of infectious diseases, study finds

Using two major US data sets, new model reveals how deep social divides make entire communities—rich and poor alike—more vulnerable to infectious diseases

Complexity Science Hub

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image: 

The diagram shows how people’s decisions—like going to work or staying home—affect how a disease spreads, and how the spread of the disease, in turn, influences those decisions.

At the top, it shows that people with higher or lower socioeconomic status (SES) behave differently depending on how severe the outbreak is. For example, in a low-infection situation, people are more likely to go to work, while in a high-infection scenario, more people stay home to avoid getting sick.

At the bottom, we see how the disease moves through a network of people. In three snapshots, we watch how infected individuals pass the disease to others. Some people choose to quarantine (shown with dashed green circles), which means they temporarily disconnect from others and stop the spread. After a while, infected people either recover or are removed from the system. Shapes represent different SES groups, and colors show who is infected. Solid lines mean people are in contact and can spread the disease; dashed lines mean they’re not in contact.

The curved arrows in the diagram show how behavior (like deciding to quarantine) and disease spread are linked together—each influences the other in a constantly changing process.

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Credit: Complexity Science Hub

[Vienna, May 20, 2025] – Structural inequalities, including wealth inequality and social segregation, not only make certain groups more vulnerable during public health crises but also accelerate the spread of infectious diseases through society, according to a team of international researchers. 

In a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, the researchers introduce a novel computational model that drew from two comprehensive US data sets—one based on economic and social network data from 404 metropolitan areas in the United States and another using daily Covid-19 infection data from Chicago—to better understand the relationship between socioeconomic factors and epidemic dynamics.

“As social segregation increases, it exacerbates not only the health inequality but also the overall prevalence of the disease. In that case, everyone will be worse off,” says first author Sina Sajjadi, from the Complexity Science Hub.

A Disease Explosion

“We found this surprising because high segregation and low interaction among groups might appear to limit transmission across socioeconomic groups, resulting in a lower infection rate,” explains Sajjadi. “In fact, it's not like that. According to our model, such high segregation will result in an explosion of the disease, which will ultimately infect others.”

“Our model shows that when people can’t effectively quarantine—especially in communities where many are closely connected—the risk of infection goes up. This close contact can lead to a rapid outbreak that spreads through the neighborhood and beyond,” adds co-author Fariba Karimi, CSH's Algorithmic Fairness team leader and professor at Graz University of Technology. 

Second Infection Wave

The computational model also predicts the appearance of a second peak in infection rates. Due to a false sense of safety, higher-income individuals, who can afford to quarantine, return to normal activities prematurely once infection rates in lower-income groups decline. This dynamic sets the stage for renewed outbreaks.

In addition, the results confirm that wealth inequality widens the infection gap. Low-income individuals, with fewer resources to self-quarantine, are more likely to be exposed to infections, leading to higher infection rates in disadvantaged communities. 

A Hypothetical “Ideal” Scenario

On the other hand, the researchers considered a hypothetical “ideal” scenario for each metropolitan area, in which all groups were homogeneously mixed. “We found that, without segregation, infection rates were lower in most metropolitan areas. A nonsegregated community would be better able to protect everyone from infectious diseases”, points out Sajjadi. 

According to the researchers, the findings underscore the urgent need for policies that address income inequality and social segregation, particularly during pandemics. “By reducing these disparities, governments can mitigate the health impacts of future crises and protect vulnerable populations,” say Sajjadi and Karimi, who worked with researchers from Turkey, the United States, and Inserm Institute in France.

 

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About the Study

The study “Structural inequalities exacerbate infection disparities,” by Sina Sajjadi, Pourya Toranj Simin, Mehrzad Shadmangohar, Basak Taraktas, Ulya Bayram, Maria V. Ruiz-Blondet & Fariba Karimi, was published in Nature Scientific Reports and is available online (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91008-w).

 

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About CSH

The Complexity Science Hub (CSH) is Europe’s research center for the study of complex systems. We derive meaning from data from a range of disciplines—economics, medicine, ecology, and the social sciences—as a basis for actionable solutions for a better world. Established in 2015, we have grown to over 70 researchers, driven by the increasing demand to gain a genuine understanding of the networks that underlie society, from healthcare to supply chains. Through our complexity science approaches linking physics, mathematics, and computational modeling with data and network science, we develop the capacity to address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

 

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-91008-w 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Structural inequalities exacerbate infection disparities

 

The least confident delivery drone gets the job

Researchers from Technical University of Darmstadt and international collaborators present a study on energy-aware delivery drone operations

Technische Universitat Darmstadt

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video: 

AAMAS 2025: On-Demand Delivery Using Fleets of Drones with Unknown, Heterogeneous Energy Storage

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Credit: NaturalRoboticsLab

At a fulfilment centre, delivery drones assign tasks among themselves using an auction-based system. Each drone considers its current battery level and evaluates whether it can complete the task. If so, it places a bid that reflects its confidence. The drone that wins the auction attempts the task and uses the outcome to refine its understanding of its true capabilities, which are influenced by unknown factors such as the long-term health of its battery. Counterintuitively, selecting the least confident bidder as the auction winner proved most effective. This approach enabled drones to learn more accurately where their performance limits lie and promotes smarter use of resources by deploying drones whose capabilities are well-matched to the task at hand.

The researchers, led by Professor Roderich Groß from the Department of Computer Science at TU Darmstadt, tested their method in a specially developed multi-agent simulator over a period of eight weeks. The results showed that the learning-based approach achieved significantly higher delivery rates and shorter delivery times compared to conventional threshold-based strategies. In an extended version, drones were even able to take on tasks that they could complete only once sufficiently recharged, enabling a forward-looking allocation of resources. ‘This work shows how online learning can help robots cope with real-world challenges, such as operating without full knowledge of their true capabilities,’ said Dr Mohamed Talamali from The University of Sheffield.

The approach can also be used to efficiently manage heterogeneous fleets in which the drones differ, for example, due to manufacturing tolerances or individual wear and tear. This paves the way for autonomously operating delivery systems with higher reliability and optimised energy usage. ‘Such autonomous delivery drones could also operate across multiple fulfilment centres, further reducing delivery times and costs,’ said Professor Groß.

The study ‘Ready, Bid, Go! On-Demand Delivery Using Fleets of Drones with Unknown, Heterogeneous Energy Storage Constraints’ will be presented on 21 May at the 24th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems in Detroit, USA, and was selected as a finalist for the Best Paper Award from more than 1,000 submissions. It received funding from the Horizon Europe project OpenSwarm.

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DOI

10.48550/arXiv.2504.08585 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Article Title

Ready, Bid, Go! On-Demand Delivery Using Fleets of Drones with Unknown, Heterogeneous Energy Storage Constraints

 

Small-scale, big impact: new insights to marine biodiversity around the Cape Verde Islands

New study links comprehensive interdisciplinary datasets with small-scale physical ocean processes

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)

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Located about 600 kilometers off the coast of West Africa, the Cape Verde Archipelago is a biodiversity hotspot in the middle of the open Atlantic. Despite the generally oligotrophic environment, the waters around the islands are teeming with whales, dolphins, and large schools of fish. Now, for the first time, researchers led by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel have explained in detail why these islands are so biologically rich: Small-scale physical processes – such as ocean eddies, tides, and wind – create a mosaic of microhabitats, each with its own characteristics. These dynamic conditions form the foundation for the region’s exceptional marine biodiversity.

Two Decades of Interdisciplinary Data

The study is based on an exceptionally rich dataset, including results from 34 research expeditions, measurements by autonomous underwater gliders, satellite observations, and data from long-term ocean moorings. The team combined physical, chemical, and biological parameters to uncover relationships between currents, nutrient availability, and species composition.

“Only by combining all of these different data sources were we able to identify patterns that would have remained invisible using physical data alone,” says first author Dr Florian Schütte, Assistant Professor of Physical Oceanography at GEOMAR. The findings not only offer new insights into the ecosystem, but also lay the groundwork for digital tools such as coupled ecosystem models or even a Digital Twin of the Ocean – a virtual model that integrates massive interdisciplinary datasets. “What we did here is essentially the core idea of a digital twin: bringing together multiple perspectives to understand the system as a whole,” Schütte explains.

Three Key Processes Bring Nutrients to the Surface

From the extensive dataset, the researchers identified three physical mechanisms that drive the upward transport of nitrate – the key limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in the Atlantic – from deeper layers to the surface, where it fuels biological productivity:

1. Wind-Driven Island Wakes:
   The first mechanism involves “island wakes” – swirling wind patterns that form when the steady northeast trade winds are deflected by the high volcanic peaks of Santo Antão and Fogo. These wind distortions create intense local shear zones that, in turn, generate small but highly productive water eddies. These eddies enhance vertical mixing and nutrient transport in the water column.
2. Mesoscale Ocean Eddies:
   The second process involves large-scale ocean eddies – so-called “mesoscale eddies” with diameters of up to 120 kilometers. These features regularly form off the West African coast, where they trap cold, nutrient-rich, and fresher water, carrying it westward toward the Cape Verde Islands. When these eddies encounter islands or shallow waters, they release their nutrient-rich cores and enhance local vertical mixing.
3. Internal Tidal Waves:
   The third mechanism results from the interaction of tides with the steep underwater topography of the islands. The Cape Verde Archipelago sits in a deep-sea basin (the Cape Verde Basin) with depths of 3,000 to 4,000 meters. Here, regular tidal flows are disrupted by seamounts and island slopes, generating so-called internal tidal waves. These waves oscillate within ocean layers of differing densities and can travel long distances – or break when encountering steep slopes or shallows, much like surface waves breaking on a beach. When internal waves break, they release significant energy, dramatically increasing vertical mixing. This effect is especially strong south of Santo Antão, where GEOMAR recorded the highest mixing rates ever measured – accompanied by flow speeds several times higher than the original deep-sea tidal current.

 

The Key Insight: Physics Determines Who Lives Where

“All of these processes bring nitrate into the sunlit surface layer, where it stimulates phytoplankton growth – the foundation of all marine life,” explains Dr Schütte. These productive zones exhibit up to ten times more zooplankton biomass, higher fish catches, and more whale sightings. Even annual catch volumes of mackerel and tuna in the Cape Verde region strongly correlate with the strength of these small-scale physical processes and associated chlorophyll levels.

But the study’s key finding goes beyond productivity: It shows that not only the quantity of life, but also the type of organisms present, depends on the underlying physical dynamics. Zooplankton communities differ markedly between regions dominated by tidal mixing, wind-driven island wakes, or large ocean eddies – and these differences appear to propagate up the food chain to fish and marine mammals.

“Where tides dominate, we find different animals than in areas influenced by wind or eddies,” says Schütte. “What used to seem like chaotic variety now shows recognizable patterns. We're beginning to structure the ocean – and understand how biodiversity emerges.”

Relevance for Marine Conservation and Sustainable Use

For the first time, the study reveals in detail how marine biodiversity around the Cape Verde Islands is shaped by physical ocean processes and underwater topography. This holistic view provides a crucial foundation for understanding the entire ecosystem – from physical drivers to microscopic algae, fish, and whales.

Such a systemic perspective is especially important for marine conservation and sustainable fisheries management. Until now, many fishery decisions have relied primarily on catch statistics. This study shows that forward-looking ocean monitoring requires more: interdisciplinary data collection that captures physical, chemical, and biological processes – ideally combined with satellite data and long-term observations on site.

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Journal

Progress In Oceanography

DOI

10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103479 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Article Title

Linking physical processes to biological responses: Interdisciplinary observational insights into the enhanced biological productivity of the Cape Verde Archipelago

Article Publication Date

21-May-2025

 

Household action can play major role in climate change fight - study

University of Birmingham

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Encouraging people in North America and Sub-Saharan Africa to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle could help to cut global household emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide by up to two-fifths, a new study reveals.

Researchers have identified 21 low-carbon actions that, if adopted by the top 23.7% of global emitters, could reduce global carbon footprints by 10.4 gigatons of CO2 equivalent - some 40.1% of household consumption-based emissions in the 116 countries analysed.

The international research team found that North America shows substantial reduction potential, while some Sub-Saharan African countries - such as Mauritius, Namibia, and Chad - present unexpected mitigation possibilities.

Steps which households could take to create the maximum impact in reducing carbon levels include:

• Reducing the use of commercial services (potential reduction of 10.9%)
• Shifting towards a healthy vegan diet, reducing consumption of animal-based food, sugar, and unhealthy processed food products (potential reduction of 8.3%)
• Implementing energy-efficient building standards, with a potential reduction of 6.0%)
• Moving from private vehicles to public transportation (potential reduction of 3.6%).
• Sharing and repairing home appliances (potential reduction of 3.0%)

Publishing their findings in Nature Communications, an international group of researchers reveal that the impact of changes in consumption patterns related to mobility and services could contribute 11.8% and 10.2% of emission reductions, respectively.

As the University of Birmingham prepares to contribute to this year’s COP30 environmental summit in Brazil, the experts note that North America shows substantial reduction potential, while some Sub-Saharan African countries present unexpected mitigation possibilities.

The corresponding author, Dr Yuli Shan, from, the University of Birmingham, commented: “Our study shows that adopting low-carbon lifestyles can play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change. By targeting high-emitting households, we can achieve significant carbon reductions and move closer to our global climate targets."

Researchers analysed household expenditure data targeting households exceeding the global per-capita average required to stay below 2 degrees Celsius - providing a comprehensive analysis of the carbon reduction potential of various low-carbon actions.

Dr. Yuru Guan, the first author of the study, commented: "This study, a key component of my doctoral thesis, demonstrates that adopting consumption-based low-carbon strategies is essential for climate mitigation." Dr Yuru Guan has recently received her doctoral degree from the University of Groningen and now works as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham.

Their findings underscore the importance of engaging consumers in addressing climate change -highlighting the need for equitable measures that target high emitters while supporting those facing barriers to low-carbon transitions, such as energy poverty.

The other corresponding author, Professor Klaus Hubacek, from the University of Groningen, commented: "This research provides valuable insights into the potential of lifestyle changes for reducing carbon footprints. It is crucial for policymakers to consider these findings and implement strategies that encourage sustainable consumption patterns."

ENDS

For more information, interviews or an embargoed copy of the research paper, please contact the University of Birmingham press office on pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk or +44 (0) 121 414 2772.

Notes to editor:

• The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Our work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
• We are leading research to help mitigate and adapt to the risks and impacts associated with climate change. We are proud to have been awarded UNFCCC Observer Status, which means we are able to contribute to the vital discussions taking place at COP30. 
• Our research is addressing the reality of climate change through transforming health, environment, and society – sustainably supporting people and planet. We are working together with industry, academic and policy partners from across the globe to improve lives and livelihoods for all – to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards the 2030 Agenda.

About the research

• ‘Unlocking global carbon reduction potential by embracing low-carbon lifestyles’ - Yuru Guan, Yuli Shan, Ye Hang, Qingyun Nie, Yu Liu, Klaus Hubacek is published in Nature Communications.
• Participating institutions: University of Birmingham, UK; University of Groningen, Netherlands; Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications; and Peking University.
• The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Horizon Europe Project EU-CHINA-BRIDGE, Wellcome Trust, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek NOW, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Peking University, and the China Scholarship Council Ph.D. programme.

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Journal

Nature Communications

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Unlocking global carbon reduction potential by embracing low-carbon lifestyles