Exploring Willingness to Adopt Contact Tracing Applications: A Study with Norwegian Citizens

Abstract

Amid discussions on the efficacy of digital contact tracing (DCT) during COVID-19, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health's application, Smittestopp, faced criticism for perceived privacy intrusions. Despite its relaunch without GPS-tracking, skepticism persisted due to initial issues. This study proposes a model to assess DCT adoption, focusing on Norwegian citizens' privacy concerns, trust, and risk beliefs, particularly towards Smittestopp. The moderating role of emotions is also examined. Findings indicate that privacy concerns inversely affect trust and enhance risk beliefs. Trust and perceived advantages bolster the intention to use the application, while risk beliefs reduce it. Negative emotions moderate the relationship between risk beliefs and intention to use, whereas positive emotions amplify the influence of perceived benefits on app usage intention. Intention to use led to actual utilization of the Smittestop app. These insights increase our understanding of how DCT apps are perceived in a country in which citizen trust in government is high, while offering significant implications for managing future crises and contagion spread.