Measuring Trust in Electronic Word of Mouth
Objective: Measuring trust in electronic word of mouth (eWOM).
Research question: To what (measurable) degree does eWOM recommendation have a moderating effect on a parent’s intention to enquire or register at an independent senior school?
Abstract: A review of the literature surrounding electronic word-of-mouth reveals that there is a strong body of evidence to suggest that certain variants of eWOM are stronger drivers of purchase intention, and those originating from specific sources hold a higher level of trust with the receiver. The purpose of this study was to ascertain hypothesised linkages between eWOM and a parent’s intention to enquire at a senior independent school, and if a causal link between eWOM and registration could be ascertained. A quantitative study approach was adopted by gathering primary data, in the form of a questionnaire, from a sample of parents who had enquired at the school. A larger, secondary data source was obtained in the form of historic admissions data that added an additional secondary dimension. Statistical techniques were employed to discover specific insights and to test the hypotheses.
Client
Woodard Corporation
Date
March 07, 2022
Author(s)
Steve King
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Further Info
Primary data collection was been conducted using self-administered survey questions from the aforementioned statistically representative sample. This was emailed to 485 members of the sample group with an expected 25-35% response rate. Questions are closed-ended, and three of these were constructed using the rating and Likert format, in order to produce a mine of coded attitudinal responses that lends itself to quantitative analysis. For ease of quantitative analysis, these closed-ended questions were crafted to mirror information that was already held in the admissions database.
