Personality traits Influence Internet Privacy Concerns through Social Anxiety and Privacy-Preserving Self-Efficacy

The rapid progress of the Internet has significantly boosted information exchange and aggregation. However, it has also heightened concerns regarding privacy issues such as personal data leakage and misuse. Previous studies have examined how demographic variables and personality traits affect Internet privacy concerns. Nevertheless, these factors are multi-dimensional and complex. Interpersonal factors and psychological characteristics such as social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy also deserve consideration. A structured questionnaire was utilized to survey 824 Chinese university students. Structural equation modeling was employed to explore the mediating roles of social anxiety and privacy-preserving self-efficacy in the relationship between personality traits and privacy concerns. Conscientiousness, privacy-preserving self-efficacy, and social anxiety positively forecast Internet privacy concerns among university students. Extroversion, agreeableness, and openness have significant negative impacts on privacy concerns. Social anxiety and privacy-preserving self-efficacy act as chain mediators in the relationship between agreeableness and privacy concerns, as well as between conscientiousness and privacy concerns. The findings offer new perspectives on the underlying mechanisms of Internet privacy issues and emphasize how offline activities influence Internet behavior. A comprehensive and multifaceted approach is required to address Internet privacy concerns among university students.