Social support to mitigate perceived risk: moderating effect of trust

Abstract

ABSTRACT During a crisis period, the transmission of travel information is faster than ever via social media (Wut, T. M., Xu, J. B., & Wong, S.-m. (2021). Crisis management research (1985–2020) in the hospitality and tourism industry: A review and research agenda. Tourism Management, 85, 104307). Social media influencers provide opportunities to mitigate perceived risk and rebuild travel confidence. Based on both customer socialization theory and dual-process theory of cognitive reasoning, we propose that trust would moderate the relationship between social support from social media influencers and perceived risk. The research model was tested using 738 questionnaires collected from Chinese social media users. Findings from statistical analyses have shown significant relationships among the research variables, and the moderating role of cognitive and affective trust was supported. Our findings could provide implications regarding how to utilize social media influencers wisely to mitigate perceived risk in the post-COVID-19 period.