Web Insight: views about online privacy

Concern about privacy is a frequent topic of news coverage of the internet and new communication technology. Are the concerns overblown?

In our Digital Future Survey, we asked respondents if they thought concerns about privacy online are exaggerated.

In 2018, only five percent of respondents (internet users aged 16 and above) strongly agreed that concerns about privacy online are exaggerated. Another 13% simply agreed.

On the other hand, 29% disagreed and 27% strongly disagreed that privacy concerns online are overblown.

These sentiments have been fairly steady since we first asked this question in 2013. The biggest changes have been in the percentage of people who strongly disagreed that concerns about privacy online are exaggerated (up from 21% in 2014 and 2015 to 27% in 2018) and those who agreed (down from a high of 22% in 2016 to 13% in 2018).

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December 9, 2019