Gender-Based Heterogeneity in Youth Privacy-Protective Behavior for Smart Voice Assistants: Evidence from Multigroup PLS-SEM

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Campbell, Molly, Bobkova, Yulia, Shrestha, Ajay Kumar
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Campbell, Molly
Bobkova, Yulia
Shrestha, Ajay Kumar
author_facet Campbell, Molly
Bobkova, Yulia
Shrestha, Ajay Kumar
contents This paper investigates how gender shapes privacy decision-making in youth smart voice assistant (SVA) ecosystems. Using survey data from 469 Canadian youths aged 16-24, we apply multigroup Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to compare males (N=241) and females (N=174) (total N = 415) across five privacy constructs: Perceived Privacy Risks (PPR), Perceived Privacy Benefits (PPBf), Algorithmic Transparency and Trust (ATT), Privacy Self-Efficacy (PSE), and Privacy Protective Behavior (PPB). Results provide exploratory evidence of gender heterogeneity in selected pathways. The direct effect of PPR on PPB is stronger for males (Male: \b{eta} = 0.424; Female: \b{eta} = 0.233; p < 0.1), while the indirect effect of ATT on PPB via PSE is stronger for females (Female: \b{eta} = 0.229; Male: \b{eta} = 0.132; p < 0.1). Descriptive analysis of non-binary (N=15) and prefer-not-to-say participants (N=39) shows lower trust and higher perceived risk than the binary groups, motivating future work with adequately powered gender-diverse samples. Overall, the findings provide exploratory evidence that gender may moderate key privacy pathways, supporting more responsive transparency and control interventions for youth SVA use.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_27117
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Gender-Based Heterogeneity in Youth Privacy-Protective Behavior for Smart Voice Assistants: Evidence from Multigroup PLS-SEM
Campbell, Molly
Bobkova, Yulia
Shrestha, Ajay Kumar
Cryptography and Security
Artificial Intelligence
Computers and Society
This paper investigates how gender shapes privacy decision-making in youth smart voice assistant (SVA) ecosystems. Using survey data from 469 Canadian youths aged 16-24, we apply multigroup Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to compare males (N=241) and females (N=174) (total N = 415) across five privacy constructs: Perceived Privacy Risks (PPR), Perceived Privacy Benefits (PPBf), Algorithmic Transparency and Trust (ATT), Privacy Self-Efficacy (PSE), and Privacy Protective Behavior (PPB). Results provide exploratory evidence of gender heterogeneity in selected pathways. The direct effect of PPR on PPB is stronger for males (Male: \b{eta} = 0.424; Female: \b{eta} = 0.233; p < 0.1), while the indirect effect of ATT on PPB via PSE is stronger for females (Female: \b{eta} = 0.229; Male: \b{eta} = 0.132; p < 0.1). Descriptive analysis of non-binary (N=15) and prefer-not-to-say participants (N=39) shows lower trust and higher perceived risk than the binary groups, motivating future work with adequately powered gender-diverse samples. Overall, the findings provide exploratory evidence that gender may moderate key privacy pathways, supporting more responsive transparency and control interventions for youth SVA use.
title Gender-Based Heterogeneity in Youth Privacy-Protective Behavior for Smart Voice Assistants: Evidence from Multigroup PLS-SEM
topic Cryptography and Security
Artificial Intelligence
Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27117