Trust Drives Internet Use

25 Pages Posted: 22 Aug 2012 Last revised: 20 Dec 2012

See all articles by Martin Ljunge

Martin Ljunge

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)

Date Written: December 17, 2012

Abstract

This paper estimates the effect of trust on internet use by studying the general population as well as second generation immigrants in 29 European countries with ancestry in 87 nations. There is a significant positive effect of trust on internet use. The positive trust effect is not universal to all media, as individuals with high trust are shown to consume less television. The finding provides evidence for one mechanism through which trust creates good outcomes. Individuals with high trust spend time online, and eschew the isolation of the TV couch, which may produce more productive opportunities.

Keywords: trust, internet use, intergenerational transmission, cultural transmission, TV watching

JEL Classification: D13, D83, J62, Z13

Suggested Citation

Ljunge, Martin, Trust Drives Internet Use (December 17, 2012). IFN Working Paper No. 947, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2133889 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2133889

Martin Ljunge (Contact Author)

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) ( email )

Box 55665
Grevgatan 34, 2nd floor
Stockholm, SE-102 15
Sweden

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/martinljunge/

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
56
Abstract Views
1,350
Rank
664,767
PlumX Metrics