Abstract
Personality traits and demographic factors can shape security behavior intentions. The impact of these factors on security behavior intentions can vary based on the cultural context in which individuals reside. In this study, we explore cultural variations in security behavior intentions, followed by an analysis of the personality traits and demographic factors that can predict these intentions. We investigate Arab local and Arab ex-pats in Europe and European populations, analyzing the varying effects of predictors on each group. Data was collected from 513 participants through an online survey. Age, gender, need for cognition, and personality traits, including agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, were used to predict security behavior intentions. The findings reveal a slight inclination among Arab individuals towards higher security behavior intentions than Europeans, with varying impacts of predictors observed between the two samples. These findings significantly enrich the existing literature by including cultural factors and studying populations not WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic). The research identifies predictive factors and their strength, covering diverse populations across Arab and European countries to comprehensively understand these dynamics.
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This publication was made possible by NPRP 14 Cluster Grant number NPRP 14C-0916-210015 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The findings herein reflect the work and are solely the responsibility of the authors.
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Al-Hamad, E.A., Alshakhsi, S., Babiker, A., Erbad, A., Ali, R. (2025). The Impact of Personality Traits and Need for Cognition on Cybersecurity Behavior: A Study Across Arab and European Samples. In: Barhamgi, M., Wang, H., Wang, X. (eds) Web Information Systems Engineering – WISE 2024. WISE 2024. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 15438. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-0570-5_28
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