The Comparison Study between the US and Japan on the Sense of Security, Anshin, with Non-Computer-Science Students

Traditional research on security and safety has been based on the assumption that a user feels secure and safe when one provides the user with secure and safe systems and services. In this research we look into the user's subjective feeling, the sense of security, called Anshin in the Japanese language. This paper reports our empirical study on a comparison between non-computer-science students in the US and Japan on their sense of security. We administered a questionnaire survey on the sense of security. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), we have identified four factors contributing to the sense of security both in Japan and in the U.S. We find that the students in the U.S. and Japan have two common factors, user interface and cognitive trust in the integrity and competence of the system and service providers.