An Empirical Study on Information Seeking Anxiety and Influence Factors of the Chinese Residents

Abstract

With the development of technology and the exponential growth of information, information seeking anxiety has been demonstrated as a fundamental, ubiquitous and persistent psychological characteristic. This feeling has caused different cognitive, affective and behavioral effects in information users, which has been identified as one of the biggest impediments to successful completion of information tasks. This paper aims at assessing individual’s emotional experience and its causes in the information seeking process and evaluate the relationship between information seeking anxiety and information task. Additionally, the paper also provides empirical support for public information services and information literacy education.