Sustainable IoT Smart Home Perceptions Across Demographic and Vulnerable User Segments

The rapid expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies has transformed smart home systems into essential tools for enhancing safety, independence, and quality of life, particularly for older adults and individuals with disabilities. However, the extent to which these groups understand and adopt IoT-enabled smart homes remains limited. This study addresses insufficient knowledge and uneven adoption of smart home IoT technologies among vulnerable demographic groups, examining how demographic factors shape levels of awareness and readiness for use. Two parallel approaches were employed for a validated questionnaire (of 15 sections) distributed to 249 participants and in parallel with semi-structured interviews for 25 selected individuals in Najran, Saudi Arabia, during the summer of 2023. Quantitative data were gathered and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses of variance. Qualitative data were under content analysis. Results revealed low levels of knowledge regarding IoT-enabled smart home systems among the respondents and different groups. Significant differences were found for groups of different employment status, age (15 to 30 and 30 to 45 years), economic status (above average), and disability status. However, no significant differences were found for gender or marital status. Qualitative insights indicated major concerns related to affordability, user passivity, lack of technical support, poor internet connectivity, device overload, issues of privacy, security, and system reliability. It was highly recommended to perform targeted measures to improve awareness, accessibility, inclusive design, and infrastructure. Future work may address spatial and temporal variations in IoT adoption, develop tailored training models for older adults and individuals with disabilities, and assess the effectiveness of policy initiatives aimed at increasing smart home readiness. These efforts can further improve the safe and effective integration of IoT technologies and improve indoor life quality and sustainability for vulnerable people.