Effects of Perceived Risk on Intention to Purchase: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This article conducts a meta-analysis to determine the effect of perceived risk on intention to purchase in e-commerce settings. The literature generally favors the negative relationship between the two variables; however, some studies have found this relationship to be not significant or even positive. Thirty-five studies were examined, representing 39 overall samples across multiple contexts with a total sample size of 13779 and overall weighted effect size (Pearson’s r) for all studies of −0.362 (95% CI: −.432, −.286), a significant medium effect, with a stronger effect in B2C than B2B contexts. Major IS journals rarely report non-significant results and reflect publication bias, posing a problem for a comprehensive meta-analysis. Due to the reluctance to report or accept, studies showing non-significant results represent a significant challenge for IS research. Our aim is to encourage more meta-analysis in IS literature and utilize this methodology to analyze previously held theories.