Digital Trust and Industry 4.0: Who Has More Trust?

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the perception of digital trust among employees and determine if there is a relationship between it and the characteristics of the companies where they work. The dataset used in this paper comes from a survey conducted by Marcial and Launer 2020, covering 36 countries across Europe, the USA, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. A total of 2,998 responses were analyzed. The study's findings reveal that employees generally exhibit moderate levels of digital trust. The research identifies strong correlations between digital trust levels and specific company attributes, including employees' roles, company size, and sector. These insights have significant implications for organizations seeking to cultivate digital trust among their workforces. Digital trust is not a one-size-fits-all concept; rather, it varies substantially depending on the employee's role within the company in the context of Industry 4.0.