Investigating the Use of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications in South Korea and China: An Agency Theory Perspective

Abstract

Contact tracing applications are one of the most promising tools to slow the spread of coronavirus. Since being first documented in China, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected all aspects of society in serious and long-term ways. Tragically, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than six million deaths and even set back the progress of world economy by decades. In this study, we investigated the uptake of COVID-19 contact tracing applications in South Korea and China. In particular, drawing on agency theory, we examined the determinants of application use and compared the differences between these two countries. We also identified the moderating effects of privacy concerns and the mediating effects of implementation intention. We conducted a survey-based cross-country field study, and recruited undergraduate and graduate students from South Korea and China, separately. Results showed a large gap regarding the uptake of COVID-19 contact tracing applications between the two countries. In South Korea, self-regulation was the primary determinant, whereas government regulation was the primary factor in China. Our study contributes to the literature on both public health and information privacy, and more significantly, suggests how we can motivate more people to use such applications to prevent the spread of COVID-19.