A lot has changed in the last decade. Most things went through a Digital Transformation, sharing much of our information and habits with data researchers. Data Privacy issues are real, but as the years pass, it seems that consumer attitudes are softening.
Google, Facebook, and other global companies took the The Police song ‘Every Breath You Take’ very much seriously. At the slightest mention of a topic, we get relevant and personalised ads everywhere we go online. It is natural for some to find this alarming. This is why companies have to understand the public’s attitude towards the subject, and show clarity whenever they can.
Data Privacy Attitudes
According to the Global Data & Marketing Alliance (GDMA) there are three types of attitudes towards privacy and data management:
- Data Unconcerned: They mostly do not care about the subject and do not hesitate providing their data. From 2018 to 2022 they went from 26% of the online populace to 31%.
- Data Fundamentalists: Those who refuse to provide their information, regardless of the benefits. Their numbers dwindled from 23% to 21% globally.
- Data Pragmatists: The majority who take the middle road, by weighing the potential benefits od providing personal data. 47% of the consumers, down from 51%.
However, keep in mind that these are global trends. In the UK the number of Data Unconcerned people grew from 16% to 31% between 2012 and 2022. This is a huge climb in numbers.
Interesting Trends
Here are some other interesting takeaways from the GDMA’s 2022 report:
- People are more and more open to companies sharing their data with other companies. Even if it is across industries.
- 59% of consumers believe that data sharing can help organisations when it comes to responding to people’s needs.
- 46% of people are more likely to share personal information with smaller companies instead of larger ones. This sentiment is the strongest among younger generations. For example, 60% French users aged 18-34, are happy to share their information to help smaller businesses.
The numbers show a positive process, which needs to be treasured by organisations. Consumers show a great amount of Trust, by sharing their personal data. This is why companies have to take Data Privacy very seriously, if they do not want to squander this opportunity. Or if they want to avoid a situation where they have to rely on their crisis communication team.