How Chinese Web Users Value Their Personal Information: An Empirical Study on WeChat Users.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to investigate Chinese web users' monetary valuation of their personal information (PI) and its psychological driving factors, and thereby promote the establishment of the PI market in China. METHODS: In this study, a survey was conducted with 710 Chinese WeChat users to determine how they perceive the monetary value of their PI. RESULTS: The survey results demonstrate that the "endowment effect" exists among Chinese web users, indicating different allocations of PI property rights may elicit distinct outcomes. The results also reveal that Chinese web users' willingness-to-pay (WTP) is mainly driven by privacy concern and intimacy of disclosure, and their willingness-to-accept (WTA) is mainly driven by privacy concern, intimacy of disclosure and psychological ownership. CONCLUSION: The results imply that market players in China can use these driving factors to increase consumers' valuation of their PI to maintain a stable user base, and a portion of users will choose paid but privacy-guaranteed services to protect their PI. Furthermore, our findings indicate that when there is a formal monetary PI market, a privacy class may emerge.

Urban Consumer Trust and Food Certifications in China.

China has experienced frequent food safety incidents that have undermined consumer trust in the food supply chain. To overcome this problem, China requalified the legislative framework and adopted a comprehensive food certification system over the years. Here, we investigated the influences of food traceability and Chinese certifications (QS/SC-food quality safety market access/production system, hazard-free, green, and organic) on Chinese consumer trust of food safety for different types of products: fish, meat, milk, eggs, and rice. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys conducted in rural and urban Chinese areas. With a sample of 757 questionnaires, we ran a logit model. The results show consumers' uncertainty and skepticism of certifications guaranteeing food safety attributes, especially for animal-based products. We found that price is used as a cue of safety by Chinese consumers. Individuals with higher education seem less influenced by certifications and other cues included in the analysis. The findings demonstrate that Chinese policy makers should implement new strategies to enhance consumer food safety trust, and design policies by considering different categories (e.g., vegetables, meat, fish, etc.) of food.