The Influence of Ease of Access, Income Level, and Risk Perception on the Decision to Usse Online Loans among the Jakarta Community

The rapid development of digital financial services has increased the accessibility of online lending, particularly in urban areas. However, empirical findings regarding the factors influencing online-loan use remain mixed, especially regarding income and perceived risk. This study aims to examine the effects of ease of access, income level, and risk perception on the decision to use online loans among the Jakarta community. A causal quantitative approach was employed using an online questionnaire distributed through Google Forms. The study involved 100 respondents selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling with SmartPLS 4.0. The results show that ease of access has a positive and significant effect on the decision to use online loans, with a path coefficient of 0.244, t-statistic of 2.772, and p-value of 0.000. Income level also has a positive and significant effect, with a path coefficient of 0.627, t-statistic of 7.074, and p-value of 0.000, making it the most dominant predictor. Risk perception has no significant effect, with a path coefficient of 0.052, t-statistic of 0.607, and p-value of 0.544. The model explains 65.6% of the variance in the decision to use online loans (R² = 0.656). Keyword: Ease of Access, Income Level, Risk Perception, Online Loans, Decision to Use Online Loans.