Consumer Privacy Expectations

The results of a new study are out and they show that Americans want more privacy.  The study was completed by Wakefield Research on behalf of AU10TIX.  The study cohort consisted of 1,000 US adults (18+) with a broad representation across the country.  It was conducted between March 15 and March 20, 2022 by an email invitation linking to an online survey.

The consumers in the survey were asked questions related to their data privacy.  Pretty convincingly, the respondents indicated that they want more.

A key finding is that 86% of those polled believe that businesses and organizations collect more information than needed.  81% of respondents believe they have very little or no control over their personal data once it’s shared with companies. 64% of online consumers have quit doing business or working with an organization for asking for too much personal information.  Nearly 2/3 of respondents believe that the sword is gaining the advantage over the shield, that is to say that threats to personal information are outpacing the defenses that businesses and organizations utilize to counteract them.

But are consumers willing to make sacrifices to help combat the dangers to their personal data?

The survey says yes.  67% of respondents say they are willing to sacrifice convenience if it means keeping their data locked down.  Greater than 90% of respondents indicated that they would be willing to use a security measure to gain access to organizations and businesses with which they interact.

The survey also revealed some consumer expectations that businesses should pay attention to.  77% of respondents believe that the responsibility for safeguarding their information that they share with businesses that request it.  When a data breach happens, a full 97% of respondents expect some sort of action from the business that suffered the breach.  What action does that entail?  70% thought the business should alert all current customers when a breach happens.  69% thought the business has a responsibility to help victims recover stolen identities.

With these minimum expectations from consumers and generally pessimistic attitudes about businesses’ data privacy approaches, there is a real opportunity for businesses to gain a competitive advantage based on their approach to privacy.  Clarip can help businesses do just that.  Our fully automated data subject request fulfillment allows your business to stand out for being responsive to data subject requests.  Our website scanning can help your business identify potential data leaks.  We can also help with automated data mapping, consent management, vendor management, and much, much more.  Visit us at www.clarip.com or call us at 1-888-252-5653 to learn more.

Email Now:

Mike Mango, VP of Sales
mmango@clarip.com