Behavioral Inhibition as an Antecedent to Multi-Dimensional Attitudes Towards Surveillance Technology

Abstract

In this work, we explore a structural equation model that operationalizes surveillance along three dimensions: the affective attitude towards surveillance, the cognitive attitude towards surveillance as a safety provider and the experiential aspect of surveillance as interfering with daily life. We also look at privacy concerns as a dependent variable to see if the privacy paradox applies, where individuals express concerns over privacy but still voluntarily give up large amounts of personal information. We find a positive influence of a subset of behavioral inhibition indicators as antecedents to the affective and cognitive aspects of attitudes towards surveillance. We also find that the privacy paradox, where privacy concerns are “exaggerated” with respect to actual attitudes and behavioral intent hold true. Finally, we find education is a significant precursor to the cognitive attitude towards surveillance, while the amount of time lived in the USA (geography) influences how much interference in day-to-day activities is perceived as a result of cam and internet surveillance.