





































Advances in Politics and Economics 

ISSN 2576-1382 (Print) ISSN 2576-1390 (Online) 

Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024 

www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/ape 

24 
 

Original Paper 

An Empirical Study on Information Seeking Anxiety and 

Influence Factors of the Chinese Residents 

Chao Li1* 

1 Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China  

* Chao Li, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China 

 

Received: October 29, 2023    Accepted: February 09, 2024   Online Published: February 21, 2024 

doi:10.22158/ape.v7n1p24         URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/ape.v7n1p24 

 

Abstract 

With the development of technology and the exponential growth of information, information seeking 

anxiety has been demonstrated as a fundamental, ubiquitous and persistent psychological 

characteristic. This feeling has caused different cognitive, affective and behavioral effects in 

information users, which has been identified as one of the biggest impediments to successful 

completion of information tasks. This paper aims at assessing individual’s emotional experience and its 

causes in the information seeking process and evaluate the relationship between information seeking 

anxiety and information task. Additionally, the paper also provides empirical support for public 

information services and information literacy education. 

Keywords 

information seeking anxiety, information seeking behavior, questionnaire survey 

 

1. Introduction 

The development of the Internet has provided us with unprecedented amounts of information. 

Nevertheless, most Internet information is not reliable, and the amount of information far exceeds our 

cognitive abilities. Assessment departments of traditional knowledge or new institutions of information 

management cannot solve the dilemma of information overload and information overflow perfectly. 

Prior studies have represented that information users experience anxiety and fear when searching for 

information (Yang & Asad, 2023). This anxiety has proved to be a fundamental, persistent, and 

ubiquitous characteristic of information seeking process. Anxious information users often use less or 

poorer information resources, and even give up information search tasks. Information seeking anxiety 

has become one of the biggest obstacles in the process of information search (Pan & Wang, 2023). 

Information seeking anxiety also has an impact on people’s cognition, emotion and behavior. In 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/ape            Advances in Politics and Economics                Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024 

25 
Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

extreme cases, information seeking anxiety can harm people’s physical health. Therefore, a deep 

understanding of information seeking anxiety and its causes is helpful to support people to cope with 

information overload, improve the efficiency of information search tasks, and reduce people’s anxiety.  

“Information anxiety” is a term first proposed by Wurman (1989) in his book “Information Anxiety”. 

Wurman defined information anxiety as “a black hole between data and knowledge”. The main cause 

of information anxiety can be attributed to “information uncertainty”. It refers to the phenomenon of 

“information overload” or “information scarcity” caused by bad information, invalid information 

organization, lack of awareness of the information environment, etc. When the uncertainty of 

information or people’s anxiety increase, information seekers either express “satisfaction” with fewer 

or poorer information resources, or give up information search tasks directly. In fact, anxiety has been 

regarded as one of the biggest obstacles to completing information tasks. 

Reviewing the research related to information seeking anxiety, we have found that questionnaire survey 

was the main research method (Song, Ye, Song, Zhang, Xu, & Shen, 2023), and college students were 

the main population (Shahnaz Hadavi Mohammad Reza Farhadpoor, 2021; Sana & Mumtaz, 2021). 

Researchers developed the Information Seeking Anxiety Scale (ISAS) to measure feelings of anxiety in 

relation to information seeking tasks (Muhammad Asif Naveed Kanwal Ameen, 2017). This scale 

divides ISA into six dimensions: barriers associated with library, barriers with information resources, 

technological barriers, affective barriers, access barriers, Internet & electronic resources barriers. They 

conducted a questionnaire survey on postgraduate students in Malaysia. The survey found that 96.5% 

of the students had information seeking anxiety. Postgraduates’ gender, learning stage, frequency of 

using the library were related to information seeking anxiety. Researchers used ISAS to assess the 

information seeking anxiety of Pakistani postgraduate students (Muhammad Asif Naveed, 2016). Their 

research found that the vast majority of respondents were dissatisfied during the information seeking 

process. Students’ gender, learning stage, subject background, computer proficiency and research 

experience had a significant impact on information anxiety. Cao & Wang compiled the Information 

Anxiety Scale (IAS) for Chinese residents (Cao, Wang, Mei, & He, 2011). The study found that 

Chinese college students’ information anxiety and its sub dimensions had significant differences in 

gender, education, discipline and place of origin. 

In the above-mentioned context, this study aims at assessing the psychological aspect of anxiety during 

the information search process. This survey aims at laying the foundation for further research on 

information seeking anxiety and provide theoretical support for information services and information 

literacy education. 

 

2. Research Method 

This study used a questionnaire survey to measure the level of information seeking anxiety of Chinese 

residents, and discussed the psychological barriers they faced when seeking for information. This paper 

aims at solving the following problems: (1) What is the actual situation of the respondents’ information 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/ape            Advances in Politics and Economics                Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024 

26 
Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

seeking anxiety? (2) Do respondents exhibit varying degrees of information seeking anxiety? (3) Is 

there a correlation between information seeking anxiety and demographic variables? 

2.1 Population and Sample 

 

Table 1. Participants 

Gender Male Female Total 

 440 655 1095 

Age Under 18 18-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 Over 60 Total 

 13 491 339 156 60 36 1095 

 

The target population of this study was Chinese residents regularly using online information. In this 

study, 1,095 Chinese residents were surveyed by questionnaire. The sample data showed that the 

distribution of the respondents in different demographic and sociological characteristics was relatively 

uniform. In terms of gender, 40.2% were male and 59.8% were female. In terms of age, the group aged 

18-30 accounted for 44.8%, the group aged 31-40 accounted for 31.0%, the group aged 51-60 

accounted for 5.5%, the group over 60 accounted for 3.3%, and the group under 18 accounted for 1.2%. 

Table 1 shows the details of the sample. 

2.2 Instruments 

The “information seeking anxiety” scale compiled by Cheng (2014) was used in this study (Cheng, Cao, 

& Lu, 2014). The development of the scale strictly followed the psychometric standards. The test 

results of the scale showed that the scale had good reliability and validity. All the items were measured 

by 5-point Likert 5 scale, and were self-assessed by respondents. The answers represented the matching 

degree between items and respondents’ psychological description. A score of 1 indicated completely 

inconsistent with the feelings of respondents, and a score of 5 indicated full compliance with their 

feelings. The higher the respondent scored, the higher so was his level of information anxiety. The 

demographic variables such as sex, age, residence and education were also measured. The above 

variables were included as control variables. 1095 questionnaires were entered in SPSS for analysis. 

2.3 Statistical Analysis 

Table 2 showed the results of KMO and Bartlett’s Test. The value of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin was 0.907. 

The significance level of Bartlett Test of Sphericity was 0.000. The above results showed that the data 

were suitable for the factor analysis. Five effective factors were extracted by principal component 

analysis. The factors were: (1) cognitive characteristics and the knowledge structure; (2) information 

retrieval ability; (3) information utilization ability; (4) quality of retrieval systems; (5) ability to process 

foreign language information. The variance contribution rate of the five factors was 51.785%. The 

internal consistency of total scale and its factors was respectively 0.753, 0.831, 0.763, 0.753, 0.753, 

0.772. The results of the reliability test indicated that the Cronbach’s α coefficients of the factors 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/ape            Advances in Politics and Economics                Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024 

27 
Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

exceeded 0.7. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of the scale exceeded 0.9, indicating a high level of internal 

consistency.  

 

Table 2. The Results of KMO and Bartlett’s Test 

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. .907 

Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 9314.720 

 df 378 

 Sig. 0.000 

 

3. Information Anxiety Prevalence 

Averages were calculated for overall ISAS as well as its sub-dimensions to examine prevalence. Higher 

average scores suggested higher anxiety levels seen in Table 3 which exhibited descriptive statistics 

such as mean, median, mode, standard deviation, variance, minimum and maximum for over all ISAS 

and its sub-dimensions.  

 

Table 3. Descriptive Statistical Analysis of Information Seeking Anxiety and Its Sub-Dimensions 

Dimensions Mean Median Mode S.D. Variance Min. Max. 

Cognitive characteristics and knowledge structure 3.308 3.333 3.111 0.763 0.582 1.000 5.000 

Information query ability 2.384 2.333 2.167 0.661 0.436 1.000 5.000 

Information utilization ability 3.220 3.250 3.000 0.850 0.723 1.000 5.000 

Ability to process foreign language information 3.191 3.000 3.000 0.990 0.979 1.000 5.000 

Retrieval system quality 3.639 3.667 3.500 0.680 0.462 1.000 5.000 

Information anxiety 3.148 3.139 3.067 0.448 0.200 1.544 4.733 

 

Figure 1 displayed the mean score for the overall ISAS was 3.148, which was very close to the median 

of3.139, the standard deviation 0.448 with the minimum score 1.544 and maximum 4.733. The 

distribution of the mean closely resembled a normal curve.  

 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/ape            Advances in Politics and Economics                Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024 

28 
Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

 

Figure 1. Histogram of Mean Value of Information Seeking Anxiety 

 

Information retrieval system quality: As depicted in Table 2, the average score for the dimension 

“retrieval system quality” was the highest, accompanied by the highest level of anxiety. Numerous 

issues arose in aspects such as the specialization of search engines, the updating speed of databases, the 

quality and quantity of information, access restrictions, and so on. These problems directly impacted 

users’ information retrieval and utilization, causing them emotional anxiety. 

Cognitive characteristics and the knowledge structure: Participants exhibited anxiety concerning 

the dimension of “cognitive characteristics and knowledge structure”. The mean value of this 

dimension was 3.308, which was higher than the median value of “3 points”. This suggested that 

individuals had inadequate information literacy and insufficient awareness during the information 

utilization process. Their unbalanced knowledge structure also had a negative impact on information 

retrieval. More specifically, individuals might encounter challenges in expressing their information 

needs, judging the availability of information, identifying the quality of information, and evaluating 

their abilities. These challenges could lead to psychological imbalance and increased anxiety. 

Information utilization ability: The mean value of the “information utilization ability” dimension was 

3.220. A slight information seeking anxiety was also observed among individuals in this regard. The 

statistical results revealed that people’s ability to judge, distinguish, and utilize information was 

relatively weak. It was found that individuals struggled to handle the outcomes of information retrieval 

effectively and lacked the competence to summarize and obtain accurate information. 

Foreign language information processing ability: The ability to process foreign language 

information is usually considered as one of the specific manifestations of the information retrieval 

ability. However, in this study, after exploratory factor analysis, this dimension was separated from the 

“information retrieval ability” and formed a new one. The average score of this dimension was 3.191, 

slightly higher than the middle value. Most of the respondents had a low evaluation of their foreign 

language proficiency and lacked self-confidence. In the process of information retrieval, they couldn’t 

fully grasp the use of foreign language databases, nor could they accurately determine the relevant 

foreign language search terms. 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/ape            Advances in Politics and Economics                Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024 

29 
Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

Information query ability: The participants had a high self-evaluation of their “information query 

ability” and low anxiety. The mean value for this dimension was 2.384, which was lower than the 

middle value. The standard deviation was 0.661, which was relatively small, indicating a low degree of 

dispersion. The participants exhibited a high degree of homogeneity and possessed a proactive mindset. 

They demonstrated strong abilities in selecting retrieval paths, formulating retrieval strategies, and 

understanding information content. They were able to clearly express their information needs and 

conduct effective information retrieval.  

 

4. Influencing Factors of Information Seeking Anxiety 

Previous studies suggested that information users might exhibit varying levels of information seeking 

anxiety by demographic factors such as age, gender, and education. This study further explored the 

influence of these variables on information seeking anxiety through the use of independent sample 

T-tests and ANOVA. 

4.1 Sex and Information Seeking Anxiety 

An independent sample t-test (two-tailed) was utilized for examining the mean differences in the index 

of overall “Information Seeking Anxiety” Scale (ISAS) and its sub-dimensions with regard to male 

(n=440) and female (n=655) participants. The running of a series of t-tests indicated that there was no 

significant difference in means scores of males and females for the sub-dimensions. The result aligned 

with Girard’s findings, which also confirmed that gender had no significant influence on information 

anxiety. 

4.2 Age and Information Seeking Anxiety 

An ANOVA test was employed to examine the mean differences in the Index of the overall scale (ISAS) 

and its sub-dimensions across different age groups. The data revealed significant disparities in three 

dimensions: “cognitive characteristics and knowledge structure” (F=2.774, P=0.017<0.05), 

“information utilization ability” (F=6.381, P=0.000<0.05), “retrieval system quality” (F=3.342, 

P=0.005<0.05) and IAS within these age groups. The post-test results showed that the anxiety levels of 

individuals aged 60 and above were higher than those of other age groups. Older people exhibited more 

anxiety concerning their ability to utilize information, their awareness of information, their knowledge 

structure, and the quality of retrieval systems. On the other hand, individuals aged 18-30 appeared to 

have a better experience during the process of information retrieval and utilization. 

4.3 Educational Level and Information Seeking Anxiety 

The education level was employed as the independent variable in one-way ANOVA. Significant 

differences were observed in “cognitive characteristics and knowledge structure” (F=3.458, 

P=0.008<0.05), “information utilization ability” (F=4.509, P=0.001<0.05), and “foreign language 

information processing ability” (F=9.499, P=0.000<0.05) among the participants with varying 

education levels. It was found that as the education level increased, the level of information seeking 

anxiety gradually decreased. The post-test results revealed that the anxiety level among the “graduate 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/ape            Advances in Politics and Economics                Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024 

30 
Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

degree and above” group was the lowest, displaying significant differences compared to the “high 

school and below” and “college degree” groups. 

4.4 Income Level and Information Seeking Anxiety 

The One-way ANOVA was performed to test differences in averages of ISA scores of participants for 

overall ISA and its sub-dimensions in accordance with their level of income. Since students have no 

income, 138 students samples were removed from the statistical analysis. The results indicated that the 

income level had a significant influence on the overall ISAS (F=3.567, P=0.003<0.05), “cognitive 

characteristics and knowledge structure” (F=3.285, P=0.006<0.05), and “foreign language information 

processing ability” (F=4.451, P=0.001<0.05). Most low-income individuals experienced information 

anxiety, which was primarily focused on cognitive characteristics, the knowledge structure, and foreign 

language proficiency. There was no significant difference in information utilization, retrieval system 

quality compared to other income groups. 

 

5. Discussions 

This paper discussed the emotional experience of Chinese residents during the process of information 

activities and the factors that influenced them. Authors employed the ISAS scale to conduct a 

questionnaire survey, yielding the following findings. 

The descriptive statistical analysis of the mean value revealed that the respondents generally 

experienced anxiety. The average scores for the overall level and its sub-dimensions (except 

information query ability) exceeded the median value of “3”. The main sources of severe anxiety were 

identified as “information utilization ability”, “retrieval system quality”, and “foreign language 

information processing ability”. 

The inferential statistical analysis of T-test and ANOVA revealed that age, the education level, and the 

income level were the predictors of ISA. Demographic characteristics such as being aged 18-30, 

holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and having a monthly income of over 5000 yuan significantly 

mitigated participants’ information anxiety. Gender, however, had no significant impact on information 

anxiety. 

Previous studies have primarily focused on the ISA experienced by students, particularly graduate 

students. This study, however, shifts its attention to the general public’s ISA during various information 

activities. Due to the varying occupations and living habits of the respondents, the professional level 

and other requirements for the information searching task also differs. This makes it more challenging 

to conduct extensive investigations. Future research should aim at increasing the diversity of samples in 

terms of demographic characteristics, which will allow for more reliable conclusions and ensure that 

the measurement effects of the ISAS are applicable to a broader population. 

 

 

 



www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/ape            Advances in Politics and Economics                Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024 

31 
Published by SCHOLINK INC. 

References 

Cao, J. D., Wang, C., Mei, S. L., & He, W. (2011). Information Anxiety Scale Compilation and Its 

Raliability and Validity Test. Library and Information Service, (2), 29. 

Cheng, W. Y., Cao, J. D., & Lu, S. Y. (2014). Revision of the Information Anxiety Scale. Intelligence 

Science, (1), 64-67. 

Muhammad Asif Naveed Kanwal Ameen. (2017). A cross-cultural evaluation of the psychometric 

properties of information seeking anxiety scale in Pakistani environment. Malaysian Journal of 

Library Information Science, (3), 35-51. https://doi.org/10.22452/mjlis.vol22no3.3 

Muhammad Asif Naveed. (2016). Exploring Information Seeking Anxiety among Research Students in 

Pakistan. Libri, (1), 73-82. 

Pan, L. Y., & Wang, S. Y. (2023). A Study on the Effect of Information Anxiety on Online Learning 

Effectiveness of College Students: The Mediating Role of Self-efficacy and Academic Emotions. 

World Journal of Innovation and Modern Technology, (2), 16-20. 

Sana, K., & Mumtaz, A. A. M. A. N. (2021). Prevalence and Levels of Information Seeking Anxiety 

among Business Students. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-13. 

Shahnaz, H., & Mohammad, R. F. (2021). Relationship Between Information Processing Styles and 

Information Seeking Behavior, with Information Anxiety as a Moderator Variable. LIBRES: 

Library and Information Science Research Electronic Journal, (2), 119-129. 

Song, Z. M., Ye, J. Y., Song, X. D., Zhang, Z., Xu, P. Y., & Shen, H. M. (2023). Development and 

Psychometric Properties of Work Information Anxiety Questionnaire. Psychology research and 

behavior management, 4629-4646. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S435356 

Xia, Y., & Khan, A. U. (2023). Validity and reliability of factors causing information-seeking anxiety 

during information-seeking behaviors. Collection and Curation, (4), 128-136. 

https://doi.org/10.1108/CC-11-2022-0040 

 


