A Research On The Impact Of Regulatory Focus On Consumers’ Privacy Disclosure Intention

With the widespread application of the internet and big data technology,the value and importance of consumer data have received increasing attention.For enterprises that use internet platforms to sell goods or services,mastering and analyzing consumers’ privacy data is fundamental to achieving precise recommendations.According to the theory of regulatory focus,the trait regulatory focus with long-term dominance and the situational regulatory focus with temporary advantage,both can affect individual decision-making by matching with external cues.In the research of consumer psychology,some studies have focused on the relationship between focus type and consumption preference,few studies have explored the role of regulatory focus in consumers’ privacy disclosure.Therefore,this dissertation explored the impact of trait regulatory focus,situational regulatory focus and regulatory fit on consumers’ privacy disclosure through three studies based on this theory.Study 1 explored the relationship between trait regulatory focus and privacy disclosure intention based on privacy calculus theory and APCO model by questionnaire method.The results of study 1a showed that the trait regulatory focus type had a moderating effect on the relationship between the relationship between perceived risk and privacy disclosure intention,the promotion group’s perceived risk had a significant predictive effect on privacy disclosure intention,while the prevention group not.Further investigation in study 1b found that trait regulatory focus had a moderating effect on the impact of both privacy concerns on perceived risks and perceived risks on privacy disclosure intentions.The promotion focus group had a significant predictive effect on perceived risk and perceived risk on privacy disclosure intention,while the prevention focus group had no significant predictive effect.The results of both substudies indicated that trait regulatory focus had an impact on consumer privacy disclosure intention.Study 2 mainly examined the relationship between individuals’ situational regulatory focus and privacy disclosure intention in different levels of familiarity with consumption situations.Through a 2(Regulatory Focus: promotion vs.prevention)×2(Familiarity: familiar vs.unfamiliar)between-subjects experimental design,it was found that different situational regulatory focus manipulation will affect consumers’ privacy disclosure intention,the promotion focus group had a higher intention to disclosure privacy than the prevention focus group,and the disclosure intention in the promotion focus group was higher than that in the prevention focus group.Study 3 consists of two sub-studies,Study 3a based on a 2(Trait Regulatory Focus:promotion vs.prevention)×2(Information Frame: gain vs.loss)between-subjects experimental design,study 3b based on a 2(Situational Regulatory Focus: promotion vs.prevention)×2(Outcome Information: positive vs.negative)×2(Information Explanation : abstract vs.specific)between-subjects experimental design,participants were divided into two groups:the fit group and the non-fit group,the results showed that the regulatory fit effect also was found in the persuasion of collecting consumer privacy,whether it is a trait fit or a situational fit,the threat perception level of the matched group was significantly lower than that of the mismatched group.In conclusion,both trait regulatory focus and situational regulatory focus will have an impact on consumer privacy disclosure,regulatory fit will have an impact on the threat perception of privacy disclosure.This dissertation has enriched the application of regulatory focus in consumers’ privacy research and will provide effective strategies for enterprises to collect consumer information.