Are Trust and Distrust Distinct Constructs? An Empirical Study of the Effects of Trust and Distrust among Online Banking Users

This study provides insights on the trust-related factors that influence consumer intentions to use online banking. Specifically, the study examines the relationships between trustworthiness, trust, distrust, and user intentions to use online banking services. Over 500 college students located across two different universities completed a survey designed to examine the effects of trustworthiness perceptions on trust and distrust, and the downstream influence of trust and distrust on intention to use. As hypothesized, results indicate that trust and distrust are distinct constructs, and that the established nomological network between trustworthiness, trust, and intention hold in the current context. Also supported is the new contention that trustworthiness is negatively related to distrust, and that distrust has a negative effect on intention to use. Finally, our hypothesis examining the relative contribution of trust and distrust on user intentions was not supported. In the context of this study, trust overwhelmed distrust.