A Multidimensional Model of Cybersocial Trust: Evidence from St. Petersburg, Russia

Although trust is considered a crucial driver of online human behavior, its conceptualization often poses a challenge to scholars, due to the multidimensional nature of the phenomenon and the variety of online contexts in which trust manifests itself. While many studies have been performed to reveal the dimensions of trust in certain online domains, little has been done to build a holistic model that describes trust relations across the domains. This study aims to address this by building an empirical multifactor model of cybersocial trust. Using data obtained via the public opinion survey in St. Petersburg, Russia, and exploratory factor analysis, we have revealed six key factors of online trust, each reflecting different forms of interactions with people, organizations, or institutions. Implications of this multidimensional model and further steps for research are also discussed.