A meta-analysis of online trust : examining main and moderating effects

The purpose of this study was (1) to conduct a meta-analysis on the antecedents and consequences of online trust; (2) to test for seven moderating variables involving online trust; and (3) to use the pooled correlation matrix to fit the research model. The data for the meta-analytic procedure involved 120 papers reporting 150 independent studies. Results showed statistically significant relationships involving online trust and its various antecedents (e.g., perceived security) and consequences (e.g., behavioral intention). The relationships were heterogeneous across studies and the variances for the reported effect sizes were partially explained by certain methodological characteristics. The meta-analytic structural equation modeling analysis indicated that online trust mediates the effect of various antecedents on behavioral intention. A discussion of results, implications, limitations, and future research is provided.