DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18005152
title: Data for: The Impact of Sponsorship Disclosure Type on Online Engagement and Purchase Intention through Perceived Transparency aming Instagram Micro-Influencers

description: This dataset contains the raw survey responses supporting the study "The Impact of Sponsorship Disclosure Type on Online Engagement and Purchase Intention through Perceived Transparency among Instagram Micro-Influencers."

The research employed a between-subjects experimental design examining how different sponsorship disclosure formats affect consumer perceptions and behavior in Instagram influencer marketing contexts. The study investigates the mediating roles of perceived transparency and credibility in the relationship between disclosure practices and customer responses.

The dataset includes responses from 420 participants aged 18-39 years (Generations Y and Z), with a gender distribution of 55.2% female, 39% male, and 5.7% who preferred not to disclose. All participants were active Instagram users, with 83.8% reporting daily usage and 16.2% weekly usage. The sample was highly educated, with 85.8% holding or pursuing university degrees, and notably, 21% identified themselves as influencers, indicating high familiarity with influencer content.

Participants were randomly assigned to seven experimental conditions with 60 respondents per group. The experimental manipulations included four disclosure types: no disclosure, implicit disclosure, explicit disclosure, and explicit disclosure combined with Instagram's "Paid Partnership" tag. Additionally, two compensation nature conditions were examined: financial compensation and in-kind compensation. Each participant viewed a mock Instagram post created to simulate a realistic influencer marketing setting, featuring a fictional micro-influencer named "Emma Morgan" promoting a fictional phone accessory brand called "Latifa."

Data collection was conducted via online questionnaire distributed through Google Forms between October 2024 and April 2025. The questionnaire employed previously validated measurement scales, all using 7-point Likert scales ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree). Perceived Sponsorship Transparency was measured using 12 items adapted from Wojdynski et al. (2018), covering three dimensions: brand presence, disclosure, and lack of deception. Source Credibility was assessed using 14 items adapted from Munnukka et al. (2016), encompassing four dimensions: attractiveness, trustworthiness, expertise, and similarity. Information Credibility was evaluated through 5 items adapted from Xiao et al. (2018). Online Engagement was measured using 6 items derived from Boerman (2020), while Purchase Intention was captured with 5 items based on Dabholkar and Sheng (2012).

The dataset is provided as a CSV file with clearly labeled column headers. It includes demographic information (age, gender, education level), Instagram usage patterns, experimental condition assignments, and all scale item responses. Row order has been randomized to protect participant privacy while maintaining the integrity of each respondent's complete set of answers. Response collection dates are included for documentation and transparency purposes.

This study received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Budapest University of Economics and Business on October 15, 2025. All participants provided informed consent and were assured of voluntary participation and complete anonymity in accordance with the Helsinki and Tokyo Declarations. All personal identifying information has been removed from the dataset to ensure participant confidentiality.

The data can be used for replication studies, meta-analyses, secondary analyses, or further research on influencer marketing transparency, disclosure practices, credibility perceptions, and consumer behavior in social media contexts. Researchers using this dataset are encouraged to cite the related publication: Tribak, I., Papp-Váry, Á. F., & Szabó, Z. (forthcoming). The Impact of Sponsorship Disclosure Type on Online Engagement and Purchase Intention through Perceived Transparency among Instagram Micro-Influencers.