Public Wi-Fi and risk: Are individual differences associated with the decision to connect?

Abstract

Public Wi-Fi is ubiquitous yet despite awareness campaigns highlighting risks associated with its use there is limited understanding as to whether individual differences explain the decision to connect. This study used an online survey (N=64) to explore whether impulsivity, privacy proclivity, technical expertise, and cyber-security knowledge correlate with public Wi-Fi usage. As predicted participants with high scores on general caution privacy behaviour, and those more knowledgable about cyber-security were less likely to use public Wi-Fi. Contrary to what was hypothesised impulsivity was not correlated with the decision to connect nor were privacy concerns or technical expertise. The implications of decision making with regards to risk are discussed, and suggestions made for future research which looks at the role of personal responsibility.