Trust and cybersecurity in digital payment adoption: socioeconomic insights from India

Purpose This study examines the behavioral and contextual determinants influencing digital payment trust and perceived cybersecurity (DPTS) in India, focusing on the roles of ease of use, perceived benefits, social influence and grievance redressal mechanisms. It further explores how DPTS, along with ease of use and perceived benefits, affects actual digital payment usage (DPU) and investigates how prior cybercrime experience (CE) moderates the relationship between DPTS and DPU. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 650 digital payment users across India’s western, eastern and central regions. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using IBM SPSS and AMOS to test the proposed model. Multi-group analysis was employed to assess the moderating role of cybercrime experience by comparing users with and without prior exposure to cyber incidents. Findings Perceived benefits, ease of use, grievance redressal and social influence significantly enhance users’ trust and cybersecurity perceptions, which in turn strongly predict digital payment systems adoption. Cybercrime experience significantly weakens the trust-usage link, indicating that digital trauma can override system strengths and suppress adoption behavior. Social implications These findings highlight the broader socioeconomic implications of digital trust, particularly its role in advancing financial inclusion, economic participation and digital literacy in emerging economies. Originality/value This research contributes theoretically by integrating cybercrime experience as a behavioral moderator in technology adoption models. It extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) frameworks by introducing a dynamic trust perspective shaped by prior adverse experiences. The study advances understanding of digital payment behavior in high-risk environments and offers practical insights for developing trust-centric, resilient financial technologies.