I'd like to apply the Theory of Planned behaviour to that of opting to use a travel agent to plan international travel during the pandemic. I'd like to incorporate the constructs of perceived risk and perceived uncertainty into the model.
My question is, can I measure the perceived risk in terms of travelling during the pandemic, yet my behaviour that I am attempting to predict is the use of a travel agent to plan the trip.
So, Perceived risk and uncertainty of travelling during the pandemic and how this influences attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control of using a travel agent to book the trip.
My aim is to determine if people are more inclined, due to the pandemic, to use a travel agent to book trips. perhaps they are becoming more relevant despite technological advancements due to the uncertainties that exist around travelling during this unprecedented time.
any help or advice would be massively appreciated! thank you in advance.
Hello Pia,
I do not see any issue to measure perceived risk for international travel during the pandemic and TPB constructs for travel agency usage with the premise that you have solid theoretical storylines in the relationships between the constructs.
I am more concerned with the study population. Your logic sounds fair that people may be more likely to use travel agent services to prevent the risks during Covid. However, this may be the case only for people who are already very determined to travel. For others, perceiving risk generally means avoiding the behavior; that said, many people simply won't travel abroad when perceiving high risks, regardless of using a travel agency.
So, when you design a survey or experiment, I recommend you narrow down your sample range as people who highly intend to travel during the pandemic or provide a hypothetical situation about deciding how to travel during the pandemic.
Good luck with your research!
Best regards,
You aren't asking about two different behavior categories, you're asking about what Ajzen would call "beliefs" that underlie one (or more) of the three determinants of intention. You would incorporate your hypothesized "perceived risk" and "uncertainty of travelling" constructs into the model as antecedents of attitude. I.e., you are hypothesizing that those with higher levels of perceived risk and uncertainty are more likely to have a favorable attitude toward using a travel agent.
Your planned research will indeed yield significant scientific results. I suggest that you explore all potential aspects in changing tourist habits.
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