Consumer Trust in Electronic Service Consumption: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Finland and Portugal

Lack of trust has been identified as a major barrier to consumer acceptance of e-commerce. This empirical study examines consumer trust in electronic service consumption in a cross-cultural setting, comparing perceived trust between Finnish and Portuguese Internet banking users. Consumer trust is a significant factor both in consumer attitudes and behavioral intention to using Internet banking. Consumer trust in Internet banking is reflected as the trust in the information and trust in the medium, that is, the Internet, and respondents' trust levels are compared at this two-construct level. This study enhances the understanding of trust in the Internet banking context and discusses some cultural factors possibly facilitating anticipation of cultural differences in consumer perceived trust in electronic service consumption. The findings of the Internet surveys conducted indicated differences between the countries studied, and underlined the importance of further studies on the role of culture in consumer trust.