Influencer Parasocial Trust and Purchase Intention Among Young Adult Social Media Users

Abstract

Influencer marketing has become a dominant strategy for reaching young consumers, with source credibility widely theorized to shape purchase behavior through the psychological bonds followers form with influencers. However, evidence testing this mechanism specifically through parasocial trust, rather than parasocial interaction more broadly, remains limited within the Philippine context. This study examined whether perceived influencer credibility predicts purchase intention among Filipino university students, and whether this relationship is mediated by parasocial trust. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 250 currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students (aged 18–24) at a private university in Manila, Philippines, selected through purposive sampling. Respondents completed a self-administered questionnaire measuring perceived influencer credibility, parasocial trust, and purchase intention on 5-point Likert scales. Data were analyzed using simple linear regression and bootstrap-based mediation analysis (bias-corrected, 1,000 resamples). Results indicated that perceived influencer credibility did not significantly predict purchase intention (B = 0.050, p = .380) or parasocial trust (B = −0.012, p = .864), and parasocial trust did not significantly mediate the relationship between the two (indirect effect = −0.003, 95% CI [−0.038, 0.032]). Notably, parasocial trust independently and significantly predicted purchase intention (B = 0.244, p < .001) when credibility was controlled for. These findings depart from prior evidence supporting this mediation pathway in other national contexts, suggesting that generalized, non-influencer-specific measures of credibility may not reliably predict trust or purchase behavior among Filipino university students. The study contributes context-specific evidence to the influencer-marketing literature and highlights the need for more individuated measurement approaches in future research.