Cybersecurity Practices, Challenges and Applications in Saudi Smart Cities: Developing and Testing Extended UTAUT3 Model Using Multi-stage Samplings

Abstract

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been making significant progress towards developing intelligent cities, with projects such as NEOM and Riyadh City. Therefore, this study investigates the challenges and factors influencing the adoption of cybersecurity practices in smart cities within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using the cybersecurity-based Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT3) framework. In four phases, the study initially collected insights from the public and IT professionals through pre-test surveys to identify key challenges in cybersecurity adoption. The study then conducted a second survey to refine the UTAUT3 model in line with the unique cybersecurity challenges experienced in smart Saudi cities. This allowed exploring the economic, social, and cultural factors affecting cybersecurity implementation. Economic factors included privacy design and cyber threat intelligence; social factors covered digital trust and resilience; and cultural factors focused on cybersecurity competency and awareness. In the third phase, the study validated the extended UTAUT3 model, assessing the suitability of data for analysis and evaluating the reliability and validity of the measurement constructs. The aim was to enhance understanding of the factors impacting cybersecurity adoption, ensuring that the extended model is useful for future research and policy development. In the final phase, post-testing was conducted to measure behavioural intentions in adopting cybersecurity practices. Results showed that factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating condition, and various attributes of cybersecurity (resilience, safety, confidentiality, availability, and integrity) positively influence the behavioural intention to adopt cybersecurity. Multi-group analysis revealed differences between IT professionals and the general public in the behavioural intention of adopting cybersecurity in smart cities. This study contributes significantly to understanding cybersecurity adoption in smart cities, providing valuable insights for future interventions or policies. It underscores the need to consider group differences when promoting cybersecurity adoption to ensure effective outcomes.