From intention to adoption: An integrated statistical approach to the intention–behaviour gap in blockchain implementation

The adoption of digital technologies is often analysed through intention-based models that assume a direct transition from intention to behaviour. However, empirical evidence increasingly shows that this relationship is neither linear nor automatic. This study investigates the intention–behaviour gap (IBG) in blockchain adoption among agri-food firms located in the Campania region of Italy, integrating Behavioural Reasoning Theory (BRT) and the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework. Using firm-level data, this study adopts a multi-stage quantitative analytical approach to examine how business values, justifications, and attitudes shape adoption intentions and under which organisational and environmental conditions these intentions translate into actual implementation. The results show that while adoption intention is a significant antecedent of behaviour, structural conditions play a decisive role in enabling or inhibiting adoption. By integrating multiple dimensions of analysis, this study advances the empirical modelling of technological adoption processes and provides insights to support the technological transformation of firms operating in fragmented ecosystems with different organisational and digital evolution paths.