| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine how trust-related factors influence consumers’ willingness to disclose personal data in the context of permission-based marketing. The study focuses on trust in brand, trust in government, trust in technologies, privacy concerns, perceived control over personal data, perceived benefits of personalization, and differences in disclosure behavior across types of personal data with varying sensitivity levels. The thesis consists of three main parts: a literature analysis, an empirical research section, and conclusions with recommendations. The literature review is grounded in Privacy Calculus Theory, Commitment–Trust Theory, Trust Transfer Theory, and technology-related trust frameworks, emphasizing the role of trust, perceived risks and benefits, and the heterogeneity of personal data in disclosure decisions. Empirical research was conducted using a quantitative survey of Lithuanian consumers familiar with an urban mobility service provider “Bolt”. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics. The results indicate that perceived control over personal data is the strongest predictor of privacy concerns (β = -0.670), while trust in brand also significantly reduces privacy concerns (β=-0.129). In contrast, trust in government and trust in technologies do not exhibit direct effects in the model. Furthermore, perceived benefits of personalization emerge as the most important driver of consumers’ willingness to disclose personal data (β = 0.391). Analysis across data types reveals a clear sensitivity-based hierarchy. Consumers are most willing to disclose low-sensitivity data, such as contact information (M = 4.36), and least willing to share highly sensitive data, such as medical (M = 1.94) and financial data (M = 1.82). Cluster analysis identifies three distinct consumer segments with systematically different privacy-related profiles, confirming that disclosure behavior varies significantly across consumer groups. In the conclusions and recommendations, the study highlights the importance of perceived benefits and perceived control in permission-based marketing and emphasizes the need for sensitivity-based and segment-specific data collection strategies. The results provide practical guidance for designing transparent and trust-enhancing data practices and contribute to the academic understanding of personal data disclosure behavior. |
