Protective behavior in ride-sharing through the lens of protection motivation theory and usage situation theory

Abstract

The frequent occurrence of security incidents in ride-sharing is a challenge for the survival of IT-enabled ride-sharing platforms. Passengers’ protective behavior is an effective means to alleviate this issue, with benefits to both the passengers and the platforms. This study explores the mechanisms of passengers’ protective behavior in the ride-sharing context by combining protection motivation theory (PMT) and usage situation theory. We test our hypotheses using data (n = 346) collected from a field survey based on a real scenario. The findings reveal that PMT and usage situation theory work well to explain passengers’ protective behavior during ride-sharing. This study explains the motivation behind passengers’ protective behavior in the ride-sharing context, extends the contents of PMT by exploring its antecedents, and extends the contents of usage situation theory by introducing a new dimension. Our findings can help ride-sharing platforms take appropriate strategies to improve passengers’ protective behavior.