Investigating Accessibility of Social Security System (SSS) Mobile Application: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Abstract

Due to the Philippines’ current condition in COVID-19, the Social Security System (SSS) has launched a mobile app as an intervention for walk-in appointments and another convenient way to exchange information. By integrating the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study scrutinizes and investigates the various factors influencing the SSS mobile app’s accessibility. An online questionnaire composed of 60 items required at least 200 respondents. The researchers measured twelve latent variables, including social influence, awareness of service, computer self-efficacy, quality of internet connection, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norms, the impression of use, demographic, attitude towards using, behavioral intention to use, and actual use of SSS mobile app. The results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) indicated that awareness of service had a substantial direct influence on computer self-efficacy and perceived usefulness. In addition, computer self-efficacy had a substantial direct influence on the quality of internet connection and perceived ease of used, in which this perceived ease of use had a substantial direct influence on perceived usefulness and attitude toward using the mobile application. This study’s findings can be used to provide information on the key factors that have been identified as having a considerable effect on the app’s accessibility and further improving the overall service efficiency of the SSS mobile app. Finally, the study’s model construct will be valuable for researchers and other sectors investigating user–software interaction of applicable government or private service mobile applications.