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Understanding Protection Motivation For Identity Theft In Information Security: An Extension of The Protection Motivation Theory With Anxiety
Recently, people have performed various daily tasks by using different kinds of online applications and services, led to a large number of incidents of identity theft. These unpleasant events have incurred expensive costs to individuals, companies, and authorities. As a result, identity theft concerns them greatly. Although scholars on information security have devoted their efforts on technology to prevent identity theft, it is not clear what factors may influence an individual’s security protection motivation. Few empirical and behavioral studies on this topic have been conducted. In order to fill this gap, this study extends the protection motivation theory with anxiety, shedding light on the influences of a future negative event (identity theft) on an individual’s current emotion, which in turn determines protection motivation. This study proposes a research model to explore the influences of threat appraisal (perceived severity and perceived susceptibility) and coping appraisal (response efficacy and self-efficacy) on anxiety, which affects protection motivation. The results in this study would provide a more holistic comprehension of identity theft and protection motivation, and would be referred to in developing efficient security guidance and practices.