Behavioral intention & use behavior of citizens in Iligan city towards the staysafe.ph application during the covid 19 pandemic

Department of Political Science, MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology

^* Corresponding author: hazel.jovita@g.msuiit.edu.ph

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has encouraged the use of digital solutions such as contact tracing applications to manage the spread of the virus infection. The use of Staysafe.ph app in particular is central to the management of public health emergencies in the country, however, it is important to understand the needs and tolerances of different users to address factors that may hinder the adoption of such strategy. Prior research in contact-tracing apps focuses solely on measuring people’s intentions to use the app. However, the effectiveness of contact-tracing apps is dependent on a significant percentage of the population installing and using the app. Hence, to investigate the intention to use and usage behavior of citizens towards the Staysafe.ph application during the pandemic, the UTAUT model is used, expanding it with three constructs: privacy concern and self-efficacy as direct determinants for behavioral intention; and fear of Covid-19 as a moderator. A survey experiment (N = 400) in Iligan City is used, in which a web-based version of the survey questionnaire was distributed through social networks. The measurement and structure model were appraised using structural equation modelling (SEM). The result shows that effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and self-efficacy played an important role in behavioral intention and usage of the app, except for performance expectancy and privacy concerns. Moreover, respondents showing behavioral intention to use the application are more likely to use the app. The multiple regression analysis showed that fear of Covid-19 and age as moderating factors do not have a significant impact on behavioral intention and use behavior. These findings were interpreted in the light of current conceptualizations in the area of the study and their implications for the future were pointed out. You should leave 8 mm of space above the abstract and 10 mm after the abstract. The heading Abstract should be typed in bold 9-point Arial. The body of the abstract should be typed in normal 9-point Times in a single paragraph, immediately following the heading. The text should be set to 1 line spacing. The abstract should be centred across the page, indented 17 mm from the left and right page margins and justified. It should not normally exceed 200 words.