Consumer acceptance of internet banking: the influence of internet trust

Abstract

PurposeThis study seeks to investigate the role of internet trust as a specific form of technology trust in the context of internet banking. Furthermore, the integration of propensity to trust within the hierarchical structure of personality and its applicability to technological systems are investigated.Design/methodology/approachThe approach takes the form of an empirical study with 381 bank customers in Austria (adopters and non‐adopters) and the use of a basic model of the adoption of internet banking with structural equation modelling (SEM).FindingsThe results confirm the influence of internet trust on risk perception and consumer attitudes towards internet banking. Propensity to trust is a determinant not only for interpersonal relationships but also for trust in technological systems.Research limitations/implicationsThis is not a representative study. Future research is encouraged to systematically investigate further facets of the personality structure in trust and adoption research, as well as to test interaction effects of psychological determinants (from the study) and external stimuli (web site characteristics).Practical implicationsMaking the internet banking interface for the customer more attractive and easier to navigate is not enough to increase the adoption rate of internet banking. Trust‐creating activities to increase internet trust and to diminish perceived risk must be continuously pursued. Propensity to trust is an important determinant in the fruitfulness of these actions.Originality/valueThe paper presents the conceptualization of internet trust as a specific form of technology trust, and its pivotal role in the adoption process of internet banking, together with the extension of the propensity to trust concept to technological systems.