A four-item scale measuring the degree to which a consumer perceives a specific website to be a safe and secure channel for transmitting sensitive personal information. Items assess feelings of security when sending sensitive data, confidence in the website as a secure medium, absence of concern about data exposure, and overall safety perceptions. The scale is designed for research on online privacy, information disclosure, and consumer trust in digital environments.
7-point Likert
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
Two reliability estimates: α = .88 (pretest, n = 30) and α = .93 (Experiment 2, n = 200) — John, Acquisti & Loewenstein (2011). VALIDITY: Scale was used as a manipulation check and successfully detected the security manipulation, providing limited concurrent validity evidence. Item 3 is reverse-scored ('I would have concerns about giving out sensitive information on this website'). Adapted from Salisbury et al. (2001, Industrial Management and Data Systems 101(4)). Companion scales from the Falk et al. (2010) website battery (ATWD, ATWI, ATWE) address other website quality dimensions.
John, Leslie K., Alessandro Acquisti, and George Loewenstein (2011). Strangers on a plane: Context-dependent willingness to divulge sensitive information. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(5), 858–873.
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