No Regrets When It Comes to Your Health: Anticipated Regret, Subjective Norms, Information Insufficiency and Intent to Seek Health Information from Multiple Sources

Abstract

Research suggests that a search for health information from diverse sources is crucial for obtaining accurate and quality information. As a result, this study examines motivators of intentions to use multiple information sources. Our guiding framework is the planned risk information seeking model, which poses a direct relationship between seeking-related subjective norms and information seeking intentions, and an indirect relationship between those two variables through information insufficiency (or perceived need for more information). To further explore these relationships, we integrate a novel variable, anticipated regret, as an additional mediator of both relationships. The information seeking behavior of interest in this study is intention to seek information through multiple sources. Survey results from 379 undergraduate students show that seeking-related subjective norms are positively related with information insufficiency through regret, and positively related with seeking intent through regret and information insufficiency. The implications of these findings are discussed.