MOSCOW, 12 March 2024. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the findings of a survey devoted to information security.
What if they steal it?
VCIOM revealed that seven out of ten Internet users (68%) are worried about the safety of their personal data, such as bank account details, email and social media passwords, including every fifth respondent who is very concerned about personal data breach (23%), and nearly half who are likely worried (45%). Those who are anxious are primarily women (74% vs. 61% of men), young persons under 24 (70%) and Russians aged 45-59 (74%).
About one-third of Internet users (31%) are not concerned about account hacking or data leakage in general. They are mainly men (37% vs. 26% of women) and respondents with high financial income (38% vs. 27% of those who have low income).
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All quiet at work!
Most of working Russians (83%) believe that their personal data and the data of the companies they work for are safe and secure. They are often young working respondents aged 18-34 (89-92%). Every tenth reports that the level of personal data safety in the workplace is not adequate (10%).
Income also shapes the safety of personal data: 87% of those with good income believe that their personal data in the workplace are secure (vs 70% of those with low income).
Another factor is frequency of internet use. The more often respondents use the internet, the more they are confident that their personal data in the workplace are safe (85% of everyday users vs. 71% of those who use the internet occasionally or never use it).
Cyber security is not easy
Only 14% of Russians are absolutely confident that they are able to protect their computer and smartphone against cyber threats. A further 34% are likely confident. A majority (44%) admit they cannot protect their devices against cyberattacks. The older Russians are, the more often they think so: 26% of those aged 18-24 vs 52% of those aged 60+.
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Russians are split in their opinions on the impact of new technologies on personal data safety. Every third respondent (33%) believes that new technologies are likely to have no impact on the safety of personal data and information; they are mainly young respondents under 25 (41%).
Another third of Russians (32%) are confident that new technologies will likely decrease the safety of personal information and data. This viewpoint is closer to men (35% vs. 29% of women), residents of both capitals and million-plus cities (38% and 42% respectively), as well as respondents with low financial income (40%). One-fifth of respondents (23%) are optimistic: they think new technologies will likely improve the safety of personal data.
VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide telephone survey was conducted 4 March, 2024. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18+ took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interviews, stratified random sample based on a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia. Data were weighted for social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
Key effectiveness indicators, survey of March 4, 2024: cooperation rate (CR)* = 0.8044; minimum response rate (MRR)** = 0.0150; response rate (RR)*** = 0.0948. Calculations are based on the corporate standard: https://profi.wciom.ru/principy_standarty/korporativnyj-standart-po-izmereniyu-rezultativnosti-oprosov-sputnik-vciom/
* CR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews and b) non-interviews with eligible respondents.
** MRR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews, b) interrupted interviews after successful screening and c) all the respondents where it is unknown whether they meet the selected criteria or not.
** RR is calculated in the same way as MRR, with the only difference that the number of respondents with unknown eligibility decreases proportional to the percentage of eligible cases in the total number of respondents with identified eligibility or non-eligibility.
Are you worried, or not worried, about the safety of your personal data (for example, your bank account details or passwords for social media accounts), so as to keep your online data and accounts safe against data breach? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||
| Total respondents | Internet users |
Very worried | 23 | 23 |
Somewhat worried | 41 | 45 |
Not very worried | 17 | 17 |
Not worried at all | 17 | 14 |
Don’t know | 2 | 1 |
Are you worried, or not worried, about the safety of your personal data (for example, your bank account details or passwords for social media accounts), so as to keep your online data and accounts safe against data breach? (close-ended question, one answer, % of those who use the Internet) | ||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | Ages 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
Very worried | 23 | 19 | 26 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 27 | 21 |
Somewhat worried | 45 | 42 | 47 | 49 | 45 | 42 | 47 | 45 |
Not very worried | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 16 |
Not worried at all | 14 | 20 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 16 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Are you worried, or not worried, about the safety of your personal data (for example, your bank account details or passwords for social media accounts), so as to keep your online data and accounts safe against data breach? (close-ended question, one answer, % of those who use the Internet) | ||||||
| Total respondents | I spend more than 4 hours online every day | I spend less than 4 hours online every day | Several times a week | Several times a month | Seldom, but at least once every six months |
Very worried | 23 | 25 | 23 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Somewhat worried | 45 | 44 | 47 | 43 | 53 | 30 |
Not very worried | 17 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 10 |
Not worried at all | 14 | 13 | 12 | 24 | 13 | 42 |
Don’t know | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
In your opinion, is the safety level in your workplace sufficient to protect your personal data and the data of your organization, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of those who work) | |||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | Ages 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
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Definitely yes; the level of safety is sufficient | 39 | 39 | 40 | 65 | 42 | 41 | 32 | 29 |
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Rather yes | 44 | 43 | 46 | 27 | 47 | 43 | 47 | 49 |
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Rather no | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 4 |
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Definitely no; the level of safety is not sufficient | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
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Don’t know | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 12 |
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How much confident are you in your ability to protect your devices (computers, smartphones, et cetera) against cyber threats, such as viruses and programs or cyberattacks? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | Ages 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
Absolutely confident | 14 | 18 | 11 | 35 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 12 |
Likely confident | 34 | 36 | 33 | 36 | 52 | 43 | 29 | 22 |
Unlikely confident | 28 | 23 | 33 | 20 | 23 | 32 | 30 | 30 |
Not at all confident | 16 | 17 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 22 |
Don’t know | 8 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 14 |
In your opinion, how will the new technologies, such as smart devices or AI, impact the safety of your personal information and personal data on the Internet in the future? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | Ages 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
New technologies will likely improve the safety f personal information and data | 23 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 23 |
New technologies will likely decrease the safety of personal information and data | 32 | 35 | 29 | 34 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 24 |
New technologies will likely have no impact on the safety of personal information and data | 33 | 31 | 34 | 41 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 36 |
Don’t know | 12 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 17 |