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Survey: Few Americans Willing to Pay for Privacy

by Daniel Castro
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Only one in four Americans want online services such as Facebook and Google to collect less of their data if it means they would have to start paying a monthly subscription fee, according to a new survey from the Center for Data Innovation.

Few surveys of Internet users’ attitudes toward online privacy ask about such tradeoffs, so the Center probed Americans’ reactions to a series of likely consequences of reducing online data collection. The survey found that when potential tradeoffs were not part of the question approximately 80 percent of Americans agreed that they would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect less of their data. But that support eroded when respondents considered these tradeoffs. For example, initial agreement dropped by 6 percentage points when respondents were asked whether they would like online services to collect less data even if it means seeing ads that are less useful. Support dropped by 27 percentage points when respondents considered whether they would like less data collection even if it means seeing more ads than before. And it dropped by 26 percentage points when respondents were asked whether they would like less data collection even if it means losing access to some features they use now. The largest drop in support (53 percentage points) came when respondents were asked whether they would like online services to collect less of their data even if it means paying a monthly subscription fee. Only 27 percent of respondents agreed with reducing data collection in that circumstance.

Table 1: Percentage point difference in U.S. Internet users’ level of support for online services collecting less of their data when presented with possible tradeoffs.

The survey also gauged Americans’ willingness to have online services collect more data in exchange for various benefits. It found that when potential benefits were not part of the question approximately 74 percent of Americans opposed having online services such as Google and Facebook collect more of their data. But that opposition decreased by 11 percentage points when respondents considered whether they would like online services to collect more data if it means seeing ads that are more useful. It dropped by 17 percentage points both when respondents were asked whether they would like more data collection if it means seeing fewer ads than before and when they were asked whether they would like more data collection if it means getting access to new features they would use. The largest decrease in opposition (18 percentage points) came when respondents were asked whether they would like online services to collect more of their data if it means getting more free apps and services—16 percent still supported such a tradeoff, 63 percent opposed it, and the remainder did not take a position.

Table 2: Percentage point difference in U.S. Internet users’ level of support for online services collecting more of their data when presented with possible tradeoffs.

Survey Questions

1. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect less of my data.

  • Strongly agree: 67.8 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 12.0 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 12.2 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 1.7 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 6.3 percent

2. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect less of my data even if it means seeing ads that are less useful to me.

  • Strongly agree: 57.8 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 16.5 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 15.0 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 4.4 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 6.3 percent

3. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect less of my data even if it means seeing more ads than before.

  • Strongly agree: 34.5 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 18.1 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 20.7 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 10.9 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 15.8 percent

4. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect less of my data even if it means losing access to some features I use now.

  • Strongly agree: 34.8 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 18.8 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 24.2 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 11.4 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 10.9 percent

5. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect less of my data even if it means paying a monthly subscription fee.

  • Strongly agree: 18.0 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 8.7 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 20.1 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 10.9 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 42.4 percent

6. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect more of my data.

  • Strongly agree: 7.4 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 3.4 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 14.8 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 9.1 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 65.4 percent

7. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect more of my data if it means seeing ads that are more useful to me.

  • Strongly agree: 8.5 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 7.6 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 20.9 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 12.4 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 50.6 percent

8. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect more of my data if it means seeing fewer ads than before.

  • Strongly agree: 10.1 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 9.1 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 23.5 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 12.9 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 44.3 percent

9. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect more of my data if it means getting access to new features I would use.

  • Strongly agree: 7.9 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 9.4 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 25.8 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 13.5 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 43.5 percent

10. Agree or disagree? I would like online services such as Facebook and Google to collect more of my data if it means getting more free apps and services.

  • Strongly agree: 8.2 percent
  • Somewhat agree: 8.3 percent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 26.9 percent
  • Somewhat disagree: 12.5 percent
  • Strongly disagree: 44.0 percent

Age:

  • 3.7% 18-24, 14.7% 25-34, 18.1% 35-44, 23.1% 45-54, 22.7% 55-64, 17.6% 65+ in sample
  • 12.6% 18-24, 19.4% 25-34, 17.5% 35-44, 17.6% 45-54, 16.7% 55-64, 16.2% 65+ in target population

Gender:

  • 54.4% male, 45.6% female in sample
  • 48.1% male, 51.9% female in target population

Region:

  • 17.0% Northeast, 34.2% South, 27.9% Midwest, 21.0% West in sample
  • 17.3% Northeast, 37.5% South, 21.3% Midwest, 23.9% West in target

Detailed Survey Results

Download additional detail about the survey results.

Survey Methodology

The Center for Data Innovation conducted a national online poll of 3,240 U.S. adult Internet users between December 13, 2018 and December 16, 2018. Using Google Surveys, we applied weights to each response to match the breakdowns of age, gender, and region to those demographic breakdowns in the national Internet population as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 Current Population Survey (CPS) Computer and Internet Use Supplement.

Multiple analyses have found Google Surveys to be a useful survey tool. In 2012, the Pew Research Center compared the results for 43 questions it asked through telephone surveys and Google Surveys, finding that the median difference between the two methods’ results was three percentage points. Moreover, Google Surveys accurately predicted the 2012 presidential election. Lastly, a 2016 analysis, published in the peer-reviewed journal Political Analysis by Rice University political scientists, replicated four canonical social science experiments with Google Surveys and concluded that Google Surveys “is likely to be a useful platform for survey experimenters doing rigorous social scientific work.”

Google Surveys donated the use of its platform for this research but played no role in the findings or in developing the questions. To learn more about Google Surveys’ methodology and accuracy, please see the Google Surveys Whitepaper and a study comparing Google Surveys to other Internet surveys.

About the Center for Data Innovation

The Center for Data Innovation conducts high-quality, independent research and educational activities on the impact of the increased use of information on the economy and society. In addition, the Center for Data Innovation formulates and promotes pragmatic public policies designed to enable data-driven innovation in the public and private sector, create new economic opportunities, and improve quality of life. The Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute affiliated with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

 

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