Abstract
Despite favourable evaluations of trustworthiness and acceptable levels of perceived risk, digital users often pause or hesitate before acting. This paper introduces trust concerns as a novel conceptual construct that helps explains this behavioural hesitation. We define trust concerns as moments of doubt that create hesitation when interacting with a trust object, potentially inhibiting engagement. We establish boundary conditions that distinguish trust concerns from adjacent constructs such as relational threats, distrust, and trust issues. Building on this foundation, we propose an emerging conceptual model that links antecedent conditions to behavioural outcomes, illustrating how trust concerns form and shape engagement decisions. This conceptualisation enriches IS trust theory by explaining why trust does not always translate into action and offers a foundation for future research on detection, measurement, and trust-sensitive system design.
Recommended Citation
Colville, Shannon; Rosemann, Michael; and Ostern, Nadine, "Conceptualising Trust Concerns: Bridging the Disconnect
Between Trustworthiness and Action" (2025). ACIS 2025 Proceedings. 115.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/acis2025/115