The innovativeness dimension, as measured by the time at which an individual adopts an innovation, is continuous. However, this variable may be partititioned into five adopter categories by laying of standard deviations from the average time of adoption.
The detailed information on the characteristics of adopter categories is presented in the succeeding pages:
Innovators: Venturesome
Observers have noted that venturesomeness is almost an obsession with innovators. They are eager to try new ideas. This interest leads them out of a local circle of peers and into more cosmopolite social relationships. Communication patterns and friendships among a clique of innovators are common, eventhough the geographical distance between the innovators may be great. Being an innovator has several prerequisites. These include control of substantial financial resources to absorb the understand and apply complex technical knowledge.
The salient value of the innovator is venturesomeness. He desires the hazardous, the rash, the daring, and the risky. The innovator also must be willing to accept an occasional setback when one of the new ideas he adopts proves unsuccessful.
These are the first people to adopt a new idea, much ahead of other people. They are very few in numbers, probably not more than one or two in a community.
Characteristics:
Have larger farms.
High net worth and risk capital.
Willing to take risks.
Usually not past middle age
Generally well educated
Have respect and prestige in progressive communities but not in conservative type of communities.
Mentally alert and actively seeking new ideas.
Their sphere of influence and activity often goes beyond the community boundaries.
They have many formal and informal contact outside the immediate locality.
They often by-pass the local extension worker in getting information from the originating sources, and may learn about new things even before he does. They sometimes manage to get samples of seeds or chemicals even before they are released for public use.
They subscribe to many farm magazines and specialised publications.
Other farmers may watch the innovators and know what they are doing but the innovators are not generally named by other farmers as "neighbours and friends" to whom they go for information.
Early Adopter: Respectable
Early adopters are a more integrated part of the local social system than are innovators. Whereas innovators are cosmopolites, early adopters are localities. This adopter’s category, more than any other, has the greatest degree of opinion leadership in most social systems. Potential adopters look to early adopters for advice and information about the innovation. The early adopter is considered by many as "the man to check with" before using a new idea. This adopter category is generally sought by change agents to be a local missionary for speeding the diffusion process. Because early adopters are not too far ahead of the average individual in innovativeness, they serve as a role model for many other members of a social system. Members of a social system respect the early adopter. The early adopter is respected by his peers. He is the embodiment of successful and discrete use of new ideas. And the early adopter knows that he must continue to earn this esteem of his colleagues if his position in the social structure is to be maintained.
Characteristics:
Younger than those who have a slower adoption rate, but not necessarily younger than the innovators
They are not the persons who test the untried ideas but they are quickest to use tried ideas in their own situations.
Have large farms.
Higher education than those who adopt more slowly.
High income.
They participate more in the format activities of the community.
They also participate more in government programmes.
This group usually furnishes a disproportionate amount of the formal leadership (elected positions) in the community.
They read papers and farm journals and receive more bulletins than people who adopt later.
They may be regarded as community adoption leaders.
Early Majority: Deliberate (Local Adoption Leaders)
The early majority adopt new ideas just before the average member of a social system. The early majority interact frequently with their peers, but leadership position; are rarely held by them. The early majority's unique position; between the very early and relatively late to adopt make; them an important link in the diffusion process.
The early majority may deliberate for some time before completely adopting a new idea. Their innovation-decision is relatively longer than that of the innovator and the early adopter. "Be not the last to lay the old aside, nor the first by which the new is tried", might be the motto of the early majority. They follow with deliberate willingness in adopting innovations, but seldom lead.
Characteristics:
Slightly above average in age, education and farming experience.
They take a few more farm journals and bulletins than the average.
They have medium high social and economic status.
Less active in formal groups than early adopters, but more active than those adopting later.
In many cases, they are not formal leaders in the association
They also attend extension meetings and farm demonstrations.
They are most likely to be informal resources than early adopters and innovators, and so cannot afford to make hasty or poor decisions.
They associate mainly with people of their own community.
They value highly the opinions their neighbours and friends hold about them; for this is their main source of status and prestige.
They are mostly mentioned as "neighbours and friends" from whom the majority of farmers seek information.
Late Majority: Skeptical
The late majority adopt new ideas just after the average member of a social system. Adoption may be both an economic necessity and the answer to increasing social pressures. Innovations are approached with a skeptical and cautions air, and the late majority do not adopt until most other in their social system have done so. The weight of system norms must definitely favour the innovation before the late majority are convinced. They can be persuaded of the utility of new ideas, but the pressure of peers is necessary to motivate adoption.
Characteristics:
Those in this group have less education and are older than the early majority.
They form the major part 9( formal organisational membership, although they participate less in such formal groups.
They take fewer leadership roles than the earlier adopters.
They take and read fewer papers, magazines and bulletins, than the early majority.
They do not participate in as many activities outside the community as do people that adopt earlier.
Laggards: Traditional
Laggards are the last to adopt an innovation. They possess almost no opinion leadership. They are the most localite in their outlook of all adopter categories, many are near isolates. The point of reference for the laggard is the past. Decisions are usually made in terms of what has been done in previous generations. This individual interacts primarily with others who have traditional values. When laggards finally adopt an innovation, it may already have been superseded by another more recent idea which the innovators are already using. Laggards tend to be frankly suspicious of innovations, innovators, and change agents. Their tradition direction slows the innovation decision process to a crawl. Adoption lags far behind knowledge of the idea. Alienation from a too-fast-moving world is apparent in much of the laggard's outlook. While most individuals in a social system are looking to the road of change ahead, the laggards has his attention fixed on the rear-view mirror.
Characteristics:
Least education.
Oldest.
Participate least in formal organisations, cooperatives and government programmes.
They hardly read farm magazines and bulletins.