The impact of transparency and trust on user acceptance of contact tracing apps
Implications for the adoption of crisis response apps
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22028474 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Enno Steinbrink (0009-0001-7681-1454, Technische Universität Darmstadt, corresponding author), Christian Reuter (0000-0003-1920-038X, Technische Universität Darmstadt) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 112 |
| Pages | 104661 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2212-4209 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104661 |
| OpenAlex | W4400911314 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 40 |
Digital technology and smartphones provide great opportunities to support crisis response measures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries introduced contact tracing apps (CTAs) to prevent the virus’s spread and identify infection clusters. Because wide acceptance is necessary for these apps to work, it has been a subject of research. Past research often highlighted the role of trust for acceptance and suggested that technical transparency by opening the source code can help to build trust. For this reason, we studied the acceptance of two German apps: the Corona-Warn-App (CWA), which was developed as open-source software early on, and the Luca app, which did not publish the source code initially. We conducted a multinomial logistic regression testing effects on the adoption of (1) only the CWA, (2) only the Luca app, or (3) both apps. As predictors, we considered the role of trust in the app publisher and the government and controlled for predictors relevant to past research. We found trust to have a significant effect on the acceptance of the apps. A self-reported understanding of the term “open-source software” and a perceived threat by COVID-19 had a positive effect for the Corona-Warn-App or both apps but not for the Luca app alone. Being from Eastern Germany lowered the acceptance of the Luca app or both apps. Our findings can add to previous CTA acceptance research and provide insights for policymakers for future digital crisis measures, especially for populations comparable to the German population regarding government trust and privacy attitudes
Advertising · Business · Computer security · Geography · German · Internet privacy · Publication · World Wide Web · Computer Science · COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing · Data-Driven Disease Surveillance · Privacy, Security, and Data Protection
What shapes people's willingness to wear a face mask at the beginning of a public health disaster? A qualitative study based on Covid-19 in China
Risk communication and community engagement during Covid-19
Public health agencies outreach through Instagram during the Covid-19 pandemic
Privacy versus Public Health? A Reassessment of Centralised and Decentralised Digital Contact Tracing
Without a trace
United but divided
The public value of E-Government – A literature review
Trusting the Corona-Warn-App? Contemplations on trust and trustworthiness at the intersection of technology, politics and public debate
Validating a scale for citizen trust in government organizations
Communal and Exchange-Based Trust in Germany Thirty Years After Reunification
Tracking and promoting the usage of a Covid-19 contact tracing app
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |