Adoption of contact-tracing mobile applications in Japan: the relationship with source credibility and privacy.

BACKGROUND

Contact-tracing apps were introduced globally during the COVID-19 pandemic but saw limited adoption, hindering their effectiveness. This study, based on privacy calculus theory [Culnan MJ, Armstrong PK. Information privacy concerns, procedural fairness, and impersonal trust: an empirical investigation. Organiz Sci. 1999;10(1):104-15], examines how information source credibility and perceived privacy affect Japanese people's intention to adopt these apps. It also explores the moderating effects of trust in government and source credibility on this relationship and identifies the types of information influencing app adoption and perceived credibility.

METHOD: An online survey was conducted with 400 Japanese Internet users aged 20-69, using a panel from a Tokyo-based marketing research firm. The sample was gender-balanced.

RESULTS

Participants identified 11 information sources for app adoption, with mass media being the primary source, followed by the national government, related ministries, and local government. Primary physicians were deemed the most credible source, followed by family, friends, and well-known physicians and scientists. The study found direct effects of source credibility and perceived privacy on app adoption intention and a moderating effect of source credibility on this relationship. However, trust in government did not moderate the relationship.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the importance of privacy and source credibility in influencing behavioral outcomes, emphasizing their role in the successful adoption of new technologies during future pandemics.