Abstract
This study investigates whether personality traits can predict and impact susceptibility to persuasion in potential social engineering scenarios. It also explores cultural differences in such susceptibility. Data was collected through an online survey with 651 participants (329 from the Arab Gulf countries and 322 from the United Kingdom). Personality traits were measured using a validated 10-item scale based on the Big-5 model. Cialdini’s six persuasion principles were employed as a conceptual framework. Participants were presented with 12 scenarios: six featuring the principles and six where the principles were neutralized. They were asked questions about their level of trust in the potential social engineer and their willingness to take risks. We analysed the data to identify differences in susceptibility between the two groups, and regression analyses evaluated the impact of personality traits on susceptibility. The findings reveal no significant difference in susceptibility to persuasion tactics between Arab and UK participants. Additionally, personality traits are weak predictors of susceptibility to persuasion in social engineering scenarios in both samples. Unlike existing studies, our method isolated personality traits and did not mix them with other predictors like age, gender, or competency. This approach allowed us to scrutinize their pure impact. Scenarios were carefully designed, and face validated to be around the same situation but present each principle alone while neutralizing other variables. Previous literature used heterogeneous scenarios, making it hard to pinpoint specific causes. Additionally, this study includes a cross-cultural component with participants from the Arab Gulf countries, a segment often neglected in research.