Common method Bias test
Given that the data for this study was collected using self-reported questionnaires, there is a potential risk of common method bias. To mitigate this, we employed several strategies during data collection, such as incorporating verification and reverse-coded questions, ensuring participant anonymity, and balancing the items in the questionnaire24. To test for common method bias, we conducted Harman’s single-factor test25. The results indicated that 9 eigenvalues exceeded 1, with the first factor accounting for 18.68% of the variance, well below the critical threshold of 40%. This suggests that common method bias is not a significant issue in this dataset.
Correlation analysis of variables
The analysis results in Table 1 show correlations among the five personality variables, except neuroticism. These personality variables (except neuroticism) are correlated with Internet privacy concerns, social anxiety, and privacy protection self-efficacy to varying degrees.
Table 1 Correlation analysis of personality traits, social anxiety, and internet privacy concerns.The effects of agreeableness on Internet privacy concerns: The chain mediating roles of social anxiety and privacy-preserving self-efficacy
Latent variable structural equation modeling was used to validate the chain mediating roles of social anxiety and privacy-protection self-efficacy in the influence of agreeableness on internet privacy concerns. Demographic variables such as age and grade were controlled. The model included agreeableness as the exogenous latent variable, social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy as the mediating latent variables, and Internet privacy concerns as the endogenous latent variable. The model was analyzed using the maximum likelihood method. The model fit indices were: χ2 = 187.33, df = 48, χ2/df = 3.90, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.05, indicating an acceptable fit.
Fig. 1
A chain-mediated model of privacy protection self-efficacy and social anxiety.
The path coefficients in Fig. 1 indicate that agreeableness has a significant negative effect on Internet privacy concerns (β = -0.12, p β = 0.15, p β = -0.43, p β = 0.28, p 1 reflects the significant negative effect of social anxiety on privacy protection self-efficacy (β= -0.41, p β = 0.42, p
To further test the significance of the mediating effects, a bias-corrected nonparametric percentile bootstrap method was applied, using 5,000 repeated samples26,27. The results indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the mediating effect of privacy-preserving self-efficacy is [-0.14, -0.04], which does not contain 0, indicating a significant mediating effect that accounts for 35% of the total effect. Also, the 95% confidence interval for the mediating effect of social anxiety is [-0.20, -0.07], excluding 0 as well, so the mediating effect is notable and accounts for 51% of the total effect. The 95% confidence interval for the mediation effect of privacy protection self-efficacy is [-0.06, -0.02]. As the interval does not contain 0, the mediating effect is also significant and accounts for 14% of the total effect. See Table 2 for details.
Table 2 Bias-corrected bootstrap estimates of the indirect effects of privacy-preserving self-efficacy and social anxiety.he impact of openness on Internet privacy concerns: The chain mediating roles of social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy
The latent variable structural equation model was used to verify the chain mediating roles of social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy in the influence of openness on Internet privacy concerns. Controlling demographic variables such as age and grade, a structural equation model was constructed with openness as the exogenous latent variable, social anxiety and privacy self-efficacy as the intermediate latent variables, and Internet privacy concerns as the endogenous latent variable. The maximum likelihood method was used to estimate the model. The model’s fit indices were χ2 = 187.33, df = 48, χ2/df = 3.80, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.05, indicating an acceptable model fit.
Fig. 2
A chain mediation model of privacy protection self-efficacy and social anxiety.
As shown in Fig. 2, the path coefficients indicate that openness has a significant negative impact on internet privacy concerns (β = -0.24, p β = 0.42, p β = -0.62, p β = 0.22, p (β = -0.19, p β = 0.32, p
To further test the significance of the mediating effects, a deviation-corrected non-parametric percentile bootstrap method was applied, using a total of 5000 repeated samples. The findings in Table 3 demonstrate that the 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect of privacy protection self-efficacy is [-0.22, -0.08], and the interval does not contain 0, so the mediating effect is significant. The 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect of social anxiety is [0.08, 0.22], and the interval does not contain 0, so the mediating effect is significant here as well. Furthermore, the 95% confidence interval of the chain mediated effect on self-efficacy of social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy is [-0.12, 0.12], and since the interval contains 0, the chain mediated effect is not significant. For details, see Table 3.
Table 3 Bootstrap Estimation of the indirect effects of privacy protection self-efficacy and social anxiety.The effects of conscientiousness on Internet privacy concerns: The chain mediating roles of social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy
The latent variable structural equation model was used to verify the chain mediating roles of social anxiety and privacy self-efficacy in the influence of conscientiousness personality traits on Internet privacy concerns. Similarly, demographic variables such as age and grade were controlled. A structural equation model was designed with conscientiousness as the exogenous latent variable, social anxiety and privacy self-efficacy as the intermediate latent variables, and Internet privacy concerns as the endogenous latent variable. The maximum likelihood method was employed, resulting in the fit indices: χ2 = 143.67, df = 48, χ2/df = 2.99, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.04. The model fit was deemed acceptable.
Fig. 3
A chain mediation model of privacy protection self-efficacy and social anxiety.
Figure 3 highlights the significant positive effect of consciousness on Internet privacy concerns (β = 0.31, p β = 0.48, p β = -0.36, p β = 0.28, p β = -0.30, p β = 0.30, p
In order to further test the significance of the mediating effects, a deviation-corrected non-parametric percentile bootstrap method was used for testing, with a total of 5000 repeated samples. The results show that the 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect of privacy protection self-efficacy is [0.07, 0.18], and the interval does not include 0, so the mediating effect is significant, accounting for 20% of the total effect. The 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect of social anxiety is [0.10, 2.00], and the interval does not contain 0, so the mediating effect is significant, accounting for 29% of the total effect. The 95% confidence interval of the chain mediating effects of social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy is [0.36, 1.22]. As the interval does not contain 0 and accounts for 51% of the total effect, the chain mediating effect is significant (Table 4).
Table 4 Bootstrap Estimation of the indirect effects of privacy protection self-efficacy and social anxiety.The effects of extroversion on Internet privacy concerns: The chain mediating roles of social anxiety and privacy-protecting self-efficacy
The latent variable structural equation model was used to measure the chain mediating effects of social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy on the influence of extroversion on Internet privacy concerns. Demographic variables such as age and grade were controlled and a structural equation model was designed as follows: extroversion was used as the exogenous latent variable, social anxiety and privacy protection self-efficacy were mediating latent variables, and Internet privacy concerns were set as the endogenous latent variable. The model was estimated using the maximum likelihood method, yielding these fit indices: χ2 = 143.67, df = 48, χ2/df = 2.99, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.04. It was determined to be an acceptable fit.
Fig. 4
Chain mediation model of privacy protection self-efficacy and social anxiety.
Figure 4 denotes the path coefficients of the model, which show that extroversion has a significant negative impact on Internet privacy concerns (β = -0.36, p β = 0.43, p β = -0.55, p β = 0.20, p β = -0.22, p β = 0.27, p
A deviation-corrected non-parametric percentile bootstrap method was employed to assess the importance of the mediating effects, with a total of 5000 repeated samples .The results denote that the 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect of privacy protection self-efficacy is [0.20, 0.07], which does not contain 0, suggesting an important mediating effect. Meanwhile, the 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect of social anxiety is [0.13, 0.30]. Similarly, the interval does not contain 0, so the mediating effect is significant. The 95% confidence interval of the chain mediating effects of privacy protection self-efficacy and social anxiety is [-0.06, 0.20]. Here, the interval contains 0, so the mediating effect is not significant. For details, see Table 5.
Table 5 Bootstrap Estimation of the indirect effects of privacy protection self-efficacy and social anxiety.