PHOENIX—Nearly three of four adults (74%) in the United States say they have changed their online behaviors due to the threat of cybercrime, according to a new survey.
The University of Phoenix report shows the most common changes are not conducting transactions on a shared computer (46% of respondents) and changing passwords more often, not giving out personal information and not using public Wi-Fi (each at 35%).
“Not only have behaviors changed, perception of security is also different due to the increase in data breaches, which were up 23% in 2014,” said Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com. “Forty-two percent of respondents feel less secure than they did five years ago, and 44% reported having experienced a security breach first-hand. Yet, despite these feelings, 81% of respondents have not invested in online theft or identity theft protection.”
Even though the healthcare industry accounts for more data breaches (37% in 2014) than any other sector, 68% of Americans trust healthcare providers with their personal data. Nearly 68% also trust the financial (68%) and education (67%) sectors, the study finds.
The government and retail were viewed most negatively by respondents. Only 50% of consumers trust the retail industry with their personal data and just 41% say they trust the government with their information.
“Ninety-three percent of respondents want the public and private sectors to do more when it comes to fighting cybercrime,” said Hardekopf. “Most Americans would like to see more investment in cyber security (72%), or an increase in qualified personnel (46%).”
The online study was conducted in September and reached 2,028 U.S. adults.