Top 3 Barriers (Live)
This page presents the forced-choice Top 3 barriers ranking from the live TABS V2 dataset (Prolific Accepted responses, N=261). The numbers update daily as new responses are accepted on Prolific. Each participant selected up to three barriers from the full list of 18 substantive items. Counts below reflect the number of participants who included each barrier in their top 3.
For the frozen CRP 2026 snapshot (N=200), see CRP 2026: Top 3 Barriers. For the continuous Likert-based ranking, see Descriptive Statistics.
Top 10 by Pick Count
Pick-Based vs Mean-Based Ranking
The two rankings agree at the top three positions (B6, B7, and B13), with divergence emerging only further down the list.
The largest upward movers under forced choice (most negative deltas) are B18 (pick 10, mean 17, delta -7) and B2 (pick 11, mean 15, delta -4). The largest downward movers under forced choice (most positive deltas) are B5 (pick 17, mean 10, delta +7) and B15 (pick 14, mean 11, delta +3).
| Barrier | Pick N | Pick % | Pick Rank | Mean | Mean Rank | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B6 High cost associated with acquiring or implementing new technologies. | 101 | 38.7 | 1 | 3.5155 | 1 | 0 |
| B7 Difficulty integrating new technologies with existing legacy systems. | 94 | 36.0 | 2 | 3.3450 | 2 | 0 |
| B13 Concerns about cybersecurity risks associated with new technologies. | 77 | 29.5 | 3 | 3.2519 | 3 | 0 |
| B14 Concerns about data privacy compliance related to new technologies. | 77 | 29.5 | 4 | 3.2124 | 4 | 0 |
| B1 Resistance to change among employees or middle management. | 63 | 24.1 | 5 | 2.9500 | 5 | 0 |
| B12 New technologies disrupting existing workflows or processes significantly. | 56 | 21.5 | 6 | 2.8731 | 6 | 0 |
| B10 Lack of a clear strategy or roadmap for technology adoption. | 39 | 14.9 | 7 | 2.7992 | 8 | -1 |
| B4 Insufficient skills or expertise within the workforce to utilize new technologies effectively. | 35 | 13.4 | 8 | 2.8115 | 7 | +1 |
| B9 Difficulty demonstrating clear value (e.g., mission impact, public value, cost-effectiveness) for new technology investments. | 34 | 13.0 | 9 | 2.7027 | 9 | 0 |
| B18 Difficulty finding reliable technology vendors or partners. | 30 | 11.5 | 10 | 2.3541 | 17 | -7 |
Interpretation: Delta = Pick Rank - Mean Rank. A negative Delta means the barrier is more salient under the forced-choice task than under continuous rating (it rises when participants must prioritize), and a positive Delta means the opposite (it falls under forced choice relative to continuous rating).
Top 10 by Continuous Mean
| Barrier | Mean | SD | N |
|---|---|---|---|
| B6 High cost associated with acquiring or implementing new technologies. | 3.5155 | 1.1408 | 258 |
| B7 Difficulty integrating new technologies with existing legacy systems. | 3.3450 | 1.1906 | 258 |
| B13 Concerns about cybersecurity risks associated with new technologies. | 3.2519 | 1.2548 | 258 |
| B14 Concerns about data privacy compliance related to new technologies. | 3.2124 | 1.2960 | 259 |
| B1 Resistance to change among employees or middle management. | 2.9500 | 1.3098 | 260 |
| B12 New technologies disrupting existing workflows or processes significantly. | 2.8731 | 1.2747 | 260 |
| B4 Insufficient skills or expertise within the workforce to utilize new technologies effectively. | 2.8115 | 1.2077 | 260 |
| B10 Lack of a clear strategy or roadmap for technology adoption. | 2.7992 | 1.2097 | 259 |
| B9 Difficulty demonstrating clear value (e.g., mission impact, public value, cost-effectiveness) for new technology investments. | 2.7027 | 1.1582 | 259 |
| B5 Inadequate training programs for new technologies. | 2.6448 | 1.1434 | 259 |
Methodology
Forced-Choice Top 3 Pick Task
Participants were shown all 18 substantive barriers (IRI attention check excluded) and asked to select the three most salient barriers in their organizational context. The counts above reflect the number of participants who selected each barrier, so the column sums to at most 3N (here 3 x 261 = 783).
Continuous-Rating Mean
The continuous-rating mean is computed from the 5-point barrier Likert scale (Not a Barrier = 1 through Major Barrier = 5) across the same 18 substantive items, averaging across participants rather than summing selection counts. The sample-size column reflects the number of non-missing responses per item.
Source Data
All numbers on this page are read from src/data/sensitivity-analysis.json, which is regenerated daily by the TABS analysis pipeline from the live Prolific Accepted dataset (target N=500). The pipeline script is scripts/analysis/tabs_v2_unified_data_analysis.py. Unlike the frozen CRP 2026 snapshot, these numbers change day to day as new responses are accepted.