UK consumers less concerned about data privacy

UK Consumers are becoming less concerned about their data privacy, reveals new research by the UK Data & Marketing Association (DMA), Global Data & Marketing Alliance (GDMA) and customer intelligence specialist Acxiom.

Lock representing data privacy

The rise of the Data Unconcerned, people who show little or no concern about their data privacy, has doubled over the past 10 years. This increase has been an established trend in the UK since 2012 – with this segment growing steadily from 16% in 2012 to 25% in 2018, and up to 31% in 2022.

Data Fundamentalists, who are unwilling to provide personal information even in return for service enhancement, are on a notable decline – this group has reduced from 31% in 2012 to 23% in 2022. The report consistently highlights age as a key influencing factor in levels of confidence and comfort with interacting with the data ecosystem. For example, 40% of 65+ consumers are Data Fundamentalists, but this drops to just 9% of 25-34s, the same as for 18-24s.

Data Pragmatists, who are happy to exchange data with businesses so long as there is a clear benefit for doing so, continue to make up the largest proportion ( 46%). The proportion of UK consumers who claim to have high levels of concerns about their online privacy has fallen notably over the past decade. In 2022, 69% of UK consumers stated high levels of online privacy concerns, compared to 84% in 2012.

A decline in levels of concern with online privacy is being driven by relatively low levels of concern demonstrated among younger age groups, particularly the 18-24s. For example, in the UK, 77% of the 65+ cohort are concerned about online privacy, but this falls significantly to 54% among those aged 18-24.

DMA chief executive Chris Combemale said: “As the UK’s digital economy, alongside digital markets around the world, continue to advance and mature, there has been an increase in public ease and engagement with data sharing and the digital world. Younger people are digital natives – this is reflected in both their willingness to share data and acceptance of its importance to modern society.”

The UK-specific report is now in its fourth iteration and represents over a decade of tracking since it was first conceived in 2012.

We hope you enjoyed this article.
Research Live is published by MRS.

The Market Research Society (MRS) exists to promote and protect the research sector, showcasing how research delivers impact for businesses and government.

Members of MRS enjoy many benefits including tailoured policy guidance, discounts on training and conferences, and access to member-only content.

For example, there's an archive of winning case studies from over a decade of MRS Awards.

Find out more about the benefits of joining MRS here.

0 Comments

Display name

Email

Join the discussion

Newsletter
Stay connected with the latest insights and trends...
Sign Up
Latest From MRS

Our latest training courses

Our new 2025 training programme is now launched as part of the development offered within the MRS Global Insight Academy

See all training

Specialist conferences

Our one-day conferences cover topics including CX and UX, Semiotics, B2B, Finance, AI and Leaders' Forums.

See all conferences

MRS reports on AI

MRS has published a three-part series on how generative AI is impacting the research sector, including synthetic respondents and challenges to adoption.

See the reports

Progress faster...
with MRS 
membership

Mentoring

CPD/recognition

Webinars

Codeline

Discounts