The role of trust and distrust in technology usage: An in-depth investigation of traffic information apps usage for mandatory and non-mandatory trips

Abstract

Following the rapid pace of technological advancement and the continuous introduction of new technologies, the study of user acceptance has gained considerable attention. While previous studies have highlighted the role of trust in technology acceptance and adoption, the significance of distrust has received little attention and is often treated as the other end of the trust scale. This study aims to examine the separate roles of both trust and distrust in technology adoption by investigating the relationship between the usage of traffic information apps (TIAs) and the trust and distrust associated with them. To achieve this, a revealed preference questionnaire is designed, and data from a representative sample of 1028 Sydney residents is collected. The validity of treating trust and distrust as two separate constructs is empirically examined by contrasting a single-construct model versus a double-construct model. Both models are integrated choice and latent variable models with structural and choice components. The findings demonstrate that the model with trust and distrust as two distinct latent constructs outperforms the model with one latent construct. The results of the double latent construct model indicate that trust has a significant positive effect on using TIAs for both work and leisure trips, while distrust has a significant negative effect only for work trips. These findings underscore the importance of effectively managing distrust in technology, particularly in situations related to health and safety where individuals’ usage of the technology in these circumstances can save lives.