Paper Number
ICIS2025-1315
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
Data donation, the voluntary sharing of personal data for societal benefit, holds signifi- cant potential for advancing public-interest goals but is often hindered by low participa- tion rates. Drawing on privacy calculus and prosocial behavior theories, this study ex- amines how contextual factors and personal antecedents shape individuals’ willingness to donate data. In a pre-registered randomized experiment with a representative UK sample, we find that emphasizing immediate societal benefits in a data donation request significantly increases willingness to donate data, whereas broad consent for data use has a significant negative effect. Descriptive social norm cues show no significant impact. Among personal antecedents, perceived social duty, rather than trait altruism, emerges as a key motivational driver, while privacy concerns reduce the willingness to donate. These findings extend privacy decision-making models by incorporating moral norms and tem- poral salience as critical factors in prosocial data disclosure, and offer practical guidance for designing citizen-centered data donation initiatives.
Recommended Citation
Hartl, Philipp and Schnurr, Daniel, "Encouraging Data Donations: An Experimental Analysis of Contextual Factors and Personal Antecedents" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/cyb_security/cyb_security/4
Encouraging Data Donations: An Experimental Analysis of Contextual Factors and Personal Antecedents
Data donation, the voluntary sharing of personal data for societal benefit, holds signifi- cant potential for advancing public-interest goals but is often hindered by low participa- tion rates. Drawing on privacy calculus and prosocial behavior theories, this study ex- amines how contextual factors and personal antecedents shape individuals’ willingness to donate data. In a pre-registered randomized experiment with a representative UK sample, we find that emphasizing immediate societal benefits in a data donation request significantly increases willingness to donate data, whereas broad consent for data use has a significant negative effect. Descriptive social norm cues show no significant impact. Among personal antecedents, perceived social duty, rather than trait altruism, emerges as a key motivational driver, while privacy concerns reduce the willingness to donate. These findings extend privacy decision-making models by incorporating moral norms and tem- poral salience as critical factors in prosocial data disclosure, and offer practical guidance for designing citizen-centered data donation initiatives.
When commenting on articles, please be friendly, welcoming, respectful and abide by the AIS eLibrary Discussion Thread Code of Conduct posted here.
Comments
09-Cybersecurity