Public Adoption of and Trust in the NHS COVID-19 Contact Tracing App in the United Kingdom: Quantitative Online Survey Study

Background Digital contact tracing is employed to monitor and manage the spread of COVID-19. However, to be effective the system must be adopted by a substantial proportion of the population. Studies of mostly hypothetical contact tracing apps show generally high acceptance, but little is known about the drivers and barriers to adoption of deployed systems. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate adoption of and attitudes toward the NHS (National Health Service) COVID-19 smartphone app, the digital contact tracing solution in the United Kingdom. Methods An online survey based on the extended Technology Acceptance Model with the added factor of trust was carried out with a representative sample of the UK population. Statistical analysis showed adoption rates, attitudes toward and trust in the app, and compliance with self-isolation advice and highlighted differences for vulnerable populations (ie, older adults aged 65 years and over and members of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic [BAME] communities). Results A total of 1001 participants took part in the study. Around half of the participants who had heard of the NHS COVID-19 mobile phone app (490/963, 50.9%; 95% CI 47.8%-54.0%) had downloaded and kept the app, but more than one-third (345/963, 35.8%; 95% CI 32.8%-38.8%) either did not intend to download it or had deleted it. Significantly more BAME respondents than White respondents had deleted the app (16/115, 13.9%; 95% CI 11.8%-16.0%, vs 65/876, 7.4%; 95% CI 5.8%-9.0%), and significantly more older adults 65 years and over than those under 65 years did not intend to download it (44/127, 34.6%; 95% CI 31.7%-37.5%, vs 220/874, 25.2%; 95% CI 22.5%-27.9%). Broadly, one of the reasons for uptake was to help the NHS and other people, especially among older adults, although significantly fewer BAME participants agreed that they did so to help the NHS. Reported compliance with received notifications to self-isolate was high but was significantly lower than reported intended compliance without received notifications. Only one-fifth (136/699, 19.5%; 95% CI 17.0%-22.0%) of participants understood that the decision to send self-isolation notifications was automated by the app. There were a range of significantly more negative views among BAME participants, including lower trust in the NHS, while older adults were often significantly more positive. Respondents without the app reported significantly lower trust and more negative views toward the app and were less likely to report that they understood how the app works. Conclusions While compliance on the part of the approximately 50% of participants who had the app was fairly high, there were issues surrounding trust and understanding that hindered adoption and, therefore, the effectiveness of digital contact tracing, particularly among BAME communities. This study highlights that more needs to be done to improve adoption among groups who are more vulnerable to the effects of the virus in order to enhance uptake and acceptance of contact tracing apps.