Evolving User Profiles and Adoption of Cyborg Technologies: Evidence from a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study in Switzerland

Paper Title

Evolving User Profiles and Adoption of Cyborg Technologies: Evidence from a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study in Switzerland

Publication Info

• Topic area: Adoption and societal diffusion of cyborg technologies.
• Keywords: Cyborg technologies, adoption readiness, transhumanism, diffusion of innovations, latent profile analysis, perceived risks, perceived benefits, demographic factors, societal polarization, Switzerland.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Limited understanding of how cyborg technologies are diffusing beyond early adopters into the general population, including changes in user profiles, attitudes, and demographic factors over time.
• Significance: Understanding this transition is critical for guiding technological development, addressing societal concerns, and informing policy to ensure inclusive and responsible adoption.
• Motivation and related work: Previous research has focused on early adopters and niche communities, emphasizing transhumanist values. Broader societal adoption, however, involves different motivations, attitudes, and demographic dynamics, which remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by analyzing population-level data over time.

Solution

• Proposed approach: A repeated cross-sectional study using representative surveys in Switzerland (2023, n=1,000; 2025, n=1,078) to track adoption readiness, transhumanist predispositions, perceived benefits/risks, and demographic characteristics.
• Novelty:
  1. First multiyear population-level analysis of cyborg technology adoption.
  2. Introduction of transhumanist value predisposition into quantitative survey research.
  3. Identification of three evolving user profiles: Skeptical, Considering, and Convinced.
  4. Analysis of demographic and attitudinal shifts over time.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Surveys administered online with quota sampling to ensure representativeness.
  • Constructs measured include adoption readiness, transhumanist predispositions, perceived benefits/risks, and demographics.
  • Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to identify user profiles.
  • Multinomial logistic regression to examine demographic predictors of profile membership.
  • Temporal comparisons using t-tests and effect size analyses.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Adoption readiness increased from 1.72 (2023) to 1.96 (2025) on a 7-point scale, with current users doubling from 5.1% to 8.9%.
  • Transhumanist predispositions declined from 2.55 to 2.35 on a 5-point scale.
  • Perceived risks decreased slightly, while perceived benefits remained stable overall.
  • Three user profiles identified: Skeptical (42.6% in 2025), Considering (43.7%), and Convinced (13.7%). The Convinced group grew, while the Considering group shrank.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Provides longitudinal insights into societal adoption trends, contrasting with prior single-wave or qualitative studies.
  • Demonstrates the declining influence of transhumanist ideology as adoption broadens.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Surveys conducted in 2023 and 2025 with representative samples of Swiss internet users.
  • Constructs validated through exploratory factor analysis and reliability testing.
  • Profiles derived using pooled LPA with robust fit indices.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Cross-sectional design limits individual-level change analysis.
  • Simplified measurement of transhumanist predispositions, with only two items in 2023.
  • Conflation of medical and non-medical technologies in user responses.
  • Findings are specific to Switzerland and may not generalize globally.
  • Future research should explore longitudinal designs, separate technology categories, and cross-cultural comparisons.

Summary

This study investigates the evolving adoption of cyborg technologies in Switzerland through two cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2023 and 2025. It identifies three user profiles—Skeptical, Considering, and Convinced—and tracks shifts in attitudes, adoption readiness, and demographic associations over time. Adoption readiness increased, while transhumanist predispositions declined, reflecting a transition from ideological enthusiasm to pragmatic considerations. The findings highlight a growing polarization between Convinced and Skeptical groups, with the Considering middle ground shrinking. These insights inform the design, communication, and policy strategies needed to support inclusive and responsible adoption of cyborg technologies.