Comparing three models to explain precautionary online behavioural intentions
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare three social cognitive models in their ability to explain intentions of precautionary online behaviour. The models are: protection motivation theory (PMT), the reasoned action approach (RAA) and an integrated model comprising variables of these models.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 1,200 Dutch users of online banking by means of an online survey and analysed using partial least squares path modelling method.
Findings
The two models equally explain about much of the variance in precautionary online behaviour; in the integrated model, the significant predictors of the two models remained significant. Precautionary online behaviour is largely driven by response efficacy, attitude towards behaviour and self-efficacy.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation is that the predictor variables – “self-efficacy” and “attitude” – are represented by one item only in the path-analysis because of high cross-loadings of the other items with the dependent variable.
Practical implications
The results give practitioners a potentially wider range of options to design preventative measures.
Originality/value
The three models are successfully applied to online banking. This paper concludes that both PMT and RAA make a unique contribution in explaining variance for precautionary online behaviour. This paper is a re-publication of a previous conference paper (Jansen and van Schaik, 2016).
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study is part of the Dutch Research Program on Safety and Security of Online Banking. This programme is funded by the Dutch banking sector (represented by the Dutch Banking Association), the Police Academy and the Dutch National Police. The funders primarily took on a facilitating role in the entire research process and occasionally provided feedback on written materials, such as the questionnaire and the manuscript.
Citation
Jansen, J. and van Schaik, P. (2017), "Comparing three models to explain precautionary online behavioural intentions", Information and Computer Security, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 165-180. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-03-2017-0018
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited