Comparing public support for digital surveillance policies in 50 countries

Abstract

ObjectiveThis article employs three theoretical approaches (cultural, institutional, and informational) to explain public willingness to support two major forms of digital surveillance policies—video surveillance and internet surveillance—in the countries with varying levels of political trust.MethodsUtilizing the data from World Values Survey (WVS) and the other sources, this study conducts a multi‐level analysis involving 75,721 respondents from 50 countries or regions.ResultsThe results show that public support for digital surveillance policies varies across digital surveillance types and political trust contexts. The cultural approach demonstrates consistent effects that remain robust irrespective of the type of digital surveillance or political trust. The institutional approach varies by the level of political trust, and the informational approach differs between video and internet surveillance.ConclusionThe effects of three theoretical approaches are compared across digital surveillance types and across political trust contexts. The comparison examines the privacy calculus theory in different scenarios and reveals the intricate trade‐off mechanism inherent in public support for digital surveillance policy.