Anxiety (Service Usage)

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring the psychological discomfort and anxiety that arises from contemplating the use of a particular service. Items tap feelings of unease, unwanted anxiety, and unnecessary tension associated with service usage, capturing anticipatory distress rather than post-usage evaluation. Originally labelled psychological risk, the scale isolates the affective component of service risk perception — specifically how thinking about using a service generates negative emotional arousal.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• The thought of using this service made me feel psychologically uncomfortable.
• The thought of using this service gave me a feeling of unwanted anxiety.
• The thought of using this service caused me to experience unnecessary tension.
• I would worry a lot when buying this service.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Alpha ranged from .845 to .940 across multiple studies — Keh & Pang (2010). The wide range may reflect differences in service types used as stimuli across studies. VALIDITY: CFA in Study 3 confirmed unidimensionality and supported both convergent and discriminant validity. NOTE: The scale was originally labelled 'psychological risk' by Keh & Pang (2010); the construct is more specifically an affective anxiety response than a cognitive risk judgment. Data were gathered in China; potential translation effects should be considered when applying the English-language version. Items reference anticipatory thoughts ('the thought of using') rather than actual usage experience, making the scale appropriate for hypothetical or scenario-based designs.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Keh, Hean Tat and Jun Pang (2010). Customer reactions to service separation. Journal of Marketing, 74(2), 55–70.

Keywords