The Effect of Personality Traits on Online Privacy Concern

Bruno Škrinjarić (), Jelena Budak () and Mateo Zokalj ()
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Mateo Zokalj: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business

No 1702, Working Papers from The Institute of Economics, Zagreb

Abstract: This paper examines personality traits as antecedents of online privacy concern. The aim of the research is to analyze if and how personal characteristics of Internet users affect their concern for privacy. The theoretical framework consisting of the Big Five theory of personality traits has been used to test the variations in online privacy concern. The model includes a range of other variables that might affect online privacy concern, such as sociodemographic factors, cultural values and computer literacy. The empirical analysis is based on survey data collected in 2016 on a large sample of 2,060 Internet users in Croatia. Results of both OLS and ordered probit estimations show that two personality trait dimensions, namely extraversion and neuroticism, significantly determine the level of online privacy concern. The more extraverted, i.e., more energetic and outgoing Internet user is less concerned about his/her online privacy, whilst the more neurotic one is more concerned. Privacy awareness, computer anxiety and previous (negative) experience were also observed as antecedents, all positively affecting the level of privacy concern of Internet users. The results of this research fill the gap in the underexplored area of personality traits and online privacy concern literature.

Keywords: privacy concern; Internet; personality traits; survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2017-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ict and nep-pay
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: THE EFFECT OF PERSONALITY TRAITS ON ONLINE PRIVACY CONCERN (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iez:wpaper:1702

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