Factors driving the acceptance of COVID-19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps: The influence of security and privacy concerns

The acceptance of COVID-19 mobile contact tracing apps (MCTA) is crucial to curb the spread of the virus and decrease the number of infections. However, the security and privacy concerns (SPC) of COVID-19 MCTA have been called into question. Thus this paper examines the drivers of the acceptance of...

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Main Authors: Isaac Kofi Mensah, Tianyu Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-10-01
Series:Heliyon
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024151171
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author Isaac Kofi Mensah
Tianyu Zhao
author_facet Isaac Kofi Mensah
Tianyu Zhao
author_sort Isaac Kofi Mensah
collection DOAJ
description The acceptance of COVID-19 mobile contact tracing apps (MCTA) is crucial to curb the spread of the virus and decrease the number of infections. However, the security and privacy concerns (SPC) of COVID-19 MCTA have been called into question. Thus this paper examines the drivers of the acceptance of the COVID-19 pandemic MCTA under the auspices of the influence of SPC from the Chinese perspective based on the modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Usage of Technology (UTAUT) model. The data generated through a questionnaire based on the convenient sampling technique was analyzed with SPSS by performing hierarchical regression analysis. The results show that the core constructs of UTAUT such as performance expectancy (PE), facilitating conditions (FC), effort expectancy (EE), and social influence (SI) along with mobile self-efficacy (MSE) were significant predictors of individual user acceptance of COVID-19 MCTA. Additionally, the study confirmed that security and privacy concerns were significant in moderating the impact of PE, FC, EE, SI, and MSE on the acceptance of COVID-19 MCTA. The managerial and theoretical implications of these findings for policy-makers, governments, mobile app developers, and researchers are interrogated.
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spelling doaj-art-d4fa6f840de148ebb586fa34a2c1dba62024-11-12T05:19:44ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402024-10-011020e39086Factors driving the acceptance of COVID-19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps: The influence of security and privacy concernsIsaac Kofi Mensah0Tianyu Zhao1School of Accountancy, Wuhan College, No.333 Huangjiahu Avenue, Jiangxia District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430212, PR China; Corresponding author.School of Accounting, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, No.169, Shuang Gang East Street, Changbei National Economic and Technological Development Zone, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, postcode 330013, PR China; Corresponding author.The acceptance of COVID-19 mobile contact tracing apps (MCTA) is crucial to curb the spread of the virus and decrease the number of infections. However, the security and privacy concerns (SPC) of COVID-19 MCTA have been called into question. Thus this paper examines the drivers of the acceptance of the COVID-19 pandemic MCTA under the auspices of the influence of SPC from the Chinese perspective based on the modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Usage of Technology (UTAUT) model. The data generated through a questionnaire based on the convenient sampling technique was analyzed with SPSS by performing hierarchical regression analysis. The results show that the core constructs of UTAUT such as performance expectancy (PE), facilitating conditions (FC), effort expectancy (EE), and social influence (SI) along with mobile self-efficacy (MSE) were significant predictors of individual user acceptance of COVID-19 MCTA. Additionally, the study confirmed that security and privacy concerns were significant in moderating the impact of PE, FC, EE, SI, and MSE on the acceptance of COVID-19 MCTA. The managerial and theoretical implications of these findings for policy-makers, governments, mobile app developers, and researchers are interrogated.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024151171Public healthCOVID-19 pandemicMobile contact tracing apps (MCTA)ChinaSecurity and privacy concerns (SPC)UTAUT
spellingShingle Isaac Kofi Mensah
Tianyu Zhao
Factors driving the acceptance of COVID-19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps: The influence of security and privacy concerns
Heliyon
Public health
COVID-19 pandemic
Mobile contact tracing apps (MCTA)
China
Security and privacy concerns (SPC)
UTAUT
title Factors driving the acceptance of COVID-19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps: The influence of security and privacy concerns
title_full Factors driving the acceptance of COVID-19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps: The influence of security and privacy concerns
title_fullStr Factors driving the acceptance of COVID-19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps: The influence of security and privacy concerns
title_full_unstemmed Factors driving the acceptance of COVID-19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps: The influence of security and privacy concerns
title_short Factors driving the acceptance of COVID-19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps: The influence of security and privacy concerns
title_sort factors driving the acceptance of covid 19 pandemic mobile contact tracing apps the influence of security and privacy concerns
topic Public health
COVID-19 pandemic
Mobile contact tracing apps (MCTA)
China
Security and privacy concerns (SPC)
UTAUT
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024151171
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