The determinants of individuals’ perceived e-security: Evidence from Malaysia

Abstract

Despite the critical role of individuals’ perceived security in an online environment, previous research has not attempted to comprehensively study the influences and interrelations between the determinants of online individuals’ perceived security. This research employs five theories to examine the interrelations that might exist between the antecedents of individuals’ perceived security in online environment in Malaysia. It is the first attempt to empirically examine the interrelations of the confidentiality related factors identified in the literature which is a significant original contribution. A questionnaire was the primary research methodology and structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings suggest that individuals’ perceptions about security are significantly influenced by their perceived technical protection while technical protection was found to be influenced by website design features. Moreover, it was found that individuals’ perceptions toward internally provided assurances are highly influenced by externally provided assurances. However, the results found no significant relations between internally and externally provided assurances about a website's security. The findings imply that e-retailers should launch well-designed websites and communicate the technical protection capabilities of their websites to address individuals’ security concerns. The results also suggest that e-traders should consider the factors influencing individuals’ security perceptions when designing/developing their websites.