Data from Entrust Reveals Contradictions in Consumer Sentiment Toward Data Privacy and Security

On Data Privacy Day 2021, the Entrust State of Consumer Data Privacy Survey revealed nearly 80% of consumers are concerned about their data privacy, but few are willing to change habits

On International Data Privacy Day, a global effort to empower individuals and businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust, Entrust, a global leader in trusted identity, payments and data protection, released the findings of its State of Consumer Data Privacy Survey. The results highlight consumer sentiment toward data privacy and security based on responses from 500 U.S.- and 500 U.K.-based adults who own a smartphone.

“As digital life accelerates, organizations and end-users alike demand seamless, secure experience—without putting their data, identities and privacy at risk”

According to the report’s findings, today’s consumers are willing to trade their personal data for personalization, but also have fast-growing concerns about data privacy. In fact, 64% of consumers are at least somewhat willing to share personal information with an app in exchange for more relevant, personalized and/or convenient services. And a large majority (83%) of consumers are at least somewhat comfortable with using or storing biometric data with apps and services. Further, the majority of consumers (61%) also indicated that they’re at least somewhat willing to share personal information with an app in exchange for more transparency and control over their data.

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However, while many consumers are willing to exchange their personal information for some benefit, they’re still concerned about their data privacy—and those concerns are quickly increasing. According to the findings, the majority of consumers (79%) are at least somewhat concerned about their data privacy, and 64% said their concern or awareness about data privacy has increased over the past 12 months. The majority of consumers (60%) credit news stories about attacks and security breaches as their top reason for heightened concerns, followed by an increased number of targeted ads based on their online behavior (48%).

But growing concern around data privacy doesn’t mean consumers are taking the necessary steps to protect their personal information. In fact, while an overwhelming majority (82%) of consumers considered themselves at least somewhat proactive about maintaining their data privacy, 43% said they don’t carefully review the t******************* before downloading a new app. Of the consumers who do not read t*******************, the majority (69%) listed the amount of time it takes to read them as their reason for not doing so while 28% said they don’t read t******************* because they don’t understand what they explain.

“As digital life accelerates, organizations and end-users alike demand seamless, secure experience—without putting their data, identities and privacy at risk,” said Cindy Provin, senior vice president and general manager, Identity & Data Protection at Entrust. “It is imperative that business leaders ensure that they protect consumer data with strong encryption and high-assurance, cloud-based authentication while educating their customers on data protection best practices. Entrust offers a comprehensive portfolio of data protection solutions – and the deep crypto security expertise organizations need to minimize threats and enable a foundation of trust for digital life.”

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Other key findings from the Entrust State of Consumer Data Privacy Survey include:

Consumers rely on traditional news and media outlets for education about personal data protection

According to the findings, 38% of consumers use news and media sites to learn how to protect their personal information. That said, when ranking their trust in educational sources on personal data protection, consumers trust friends, family and data privacy organizations the most. Conversely, news and media sites, video streaming and social networking sites ranked lowest in terms of trustworthiness.

Big brands have work to do if they want to earn consumer trust

According to the research, consumers still do not trust large, global brands to secure their data. In fact, only 21% of consumers trust established global brands to keep their personal information secure. This lack of trust could be why nearly one third (31%) of consumers actively monitor the news for any potential breaches involving their information.

Generations have different perspectives on protecting their data

When it comes to maintaining data privacy, 54% of Gen Z consumers said it takes too much time to manage their data across every app and service, while 37% of Millennials don’t believe they have much control over their data. Forty-two percent of Gen X consumers accept privacy t******************* as part of using apps and 41% of Baby Boomers don’t know where to start in terms of privacy.

Younger generations crave more personalization

The survey revealed that 69% of Gen Z consumers are more willing to share their personal information (e.g., name, age, location, etc.) with an app in exchange for more relevant, personalized and/or convenient services; this number jumps to 70% for Millennials. Sixty percent of Gen X consumers and less than half (48%) of Baby Boomer consumers said the same.

U.K. consumers trust their employers, government agencies and financial institutions with their data more than their U.S. counterparts

When comparing the U.K. and U.S., the data revealed that 35% of U.K. consumers trust their employers to keep their information secure; this number decreases to 27% for U.S. consumers. Similarly, 31% of U.K. consumers trust their government agencies/organizations to keep their data secure while only 19% of U.S. consumers said the same. Finally, 41% of U.K. consumers trust their bank/financial institutions with their information; this number decreases to 35% for U.S. consumers.

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