General and Familiar Trust in Websites

When people rely on the web to gather and distribute information, they can build a sense of trust in the websites with which they interact. Understanding the correlates of trust in most websites (general website trust) and trust in websites that one frequently visits (familiar website trust) is cruc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Knowledge, Technology & Policy Technology & Policy, 2010-12, Vol.23 (3-4), p.311-331
Main Authors: Cheshire, Coye, Antin, Judd, Cook, Karen S., Churchill, Elizabeth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Behavior
Communication
Education
Information technology
Internet
Interpersonal communication
Philosophy
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Technology
Regression analysis
Social interaction
Social networks
Social research
Special Issue
Trust
Websites
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Summary:When people rely on the web to gather and distribute information, they can build a sense of trust in the websites with which they interact. Understanding the correlates of trust in most websites (general website trust) and trust in websites that one frequently visits (familiar website trust) is crucial for constructing better models of risk perception and online behavior. We conducted an online survey of active Internet users and examined the associations between the two types of web trust and several independent factors: information technology competence, adverse online events, and general dispositions to be trusting or cautious of others. Using a series of nested ordered logistic regression models, we find positive associations between general trust, general caution, and the two types of web trust. The positive effect of information technology competence erases the effect of general caution for general website trust but not for familiar website trust, providing evidence that general trust and self-reported competence are stronger associates of general website trust than broad attitudes about prudence. Finally, the experience of an adverse online event has a strong, negative association with general website trust, but not with familiar website trust. We discuss several implications for online behavior and suggest website policies that can help users make informed decisions about interacting with potentially risky websites.
ISSN:0897-1986
1946-4789
2210-5433
1874-6314
2168-7005
2210-5441
DOI:10.1007/s12130-010-9116-6