Online Trust (McKnight, Choudhury & Kacmar)
Information SystemsReliability: alphas 0.85–0.96 across constructs3 sample items
About this scale
A multi-item measure of online trust comprising trusting beliefs (competence, benevolence, integrity), trusting intentions (willingness to depend), and disposition to trust. Foundational measure in e-commerce and IS trust research.
Sample item(s)
“I believe this website is competent.”
“I believe this website acts in my best interest. (benevolence)”
“I am willing to make purchases through this website. (intention)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alphas 0.85–0.96 across constructs. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Adaptable to AI-agent contexts (chatbots, recommender systems).
Source & citation
McKnight, D. H., Choudhury, V., & Kacmar, C. (2002): Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce: An integrative typology. Information Systems Research, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 334–359.
McKnight, Choudhury & Kacmar (2002): Trust measures for e-commerce. ISR, 13(3), 334–359.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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