Worries About Personal Data Top Facebook Users' Concerns
by Justin McCarthy
Story Highlights
55% of Facebook users are very concerned about personal data being sold
Similar majority of Google users are concerned about sale of personal data
A majority of U.S. Facebook users (55%) are "very concerned"
about their personal information being sold to and used by other companies
and organizations. This issue tops a list of seven concerns Gallup asked
Facebook users about as the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepared
to testify before Congress about efforts to protect users' data and privacy.
Facebook Users' Concerns About the Social Networking Site
How concerned are you about each of the following when using Facebook --
very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned or not concerned
at all? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?
Very concerned
Somewhat concerned
Not too/Not at all concerned
%
%
%
Your personal information being sold to and used by other companies and
organizations
55
25
19
Invasion of privacy
43
31
26
Internet viruses
36
30
33
Unsolicited messages or ads, sent through spam email or appearing on your
Facebook page, usually sent to try to sell you something
33
32
35
Being attacked or shamed by others for things you say or do on Facebook
15
13
72
Spending too much time on Facebook
13
17
68
Getting upset or feeling bad about yourself because of things you see others post
9
11
80
Gallup, April 2-8, 2018
It's likely that Facebook users' concerns about their information
being exploited by other companies are heightened after the recent Cambridge
Analytica scandal, which prompted Zuckerberg's congressional testimony.
The data firm violated Facebook's policies when it harvested an estimated
87 million users' personal data to potentially influence political
outcomes in the U.S. and elsewhere. A majority (56%) of Americans report
having a Facebook page, the criterion the survey used to define Facebook users.
These findings are from an April 2-8 Gallup survey that also updated Facebook
users' concerns about
invasion of privacy by the social media site, more generally. The percentage very concerned
about this is now 43%, up from 30% in October 2011.
About a third of users report this high a level of concern about internet
viruses (36%) and unsolicited messages or ads sent through spam email
or appearing on their page, usually to try to sell them something (33%).
Concern about targeted ads is also higher today than in 2011, while concern
about viruses matches a January 2011 reading.
Users are less worried about their interactions with others on the platform.
Fifteen percent say they are very concerned about being attacked or shamed
for things they say or do on Facebook, while fewer than one in 10 are
very concerned about getting upset or feeling bad about themselves because
of things they see others post (9%).
Meanwhile, 13% are very worried about spending too much time on Facebook.
But about two in three users (68%) are not too concerned or not concerned
at all about doing this.
Google Users Similarly Concerned About Personal Information Being Sold
For comparison, the survey asked many of the same items of Google users,
defined as those who use Google in a typical week (74% of Americans say
they do so). A majority of Google users are very concerned about their
personal information being sold (57%), topping a list of five concerns
Gallup polled about. The level of concern among Google users about having
information sold is similar to what it is among Facebook users.
Forty-four percent of Google users report being very concerned about Google
tracking their location and location history. Meanwhile, about one in
three users are very concerned about invasion of privacy (35%) and internet
viruses (34%). As with Facebook, concern about invasion of privacy is
higher now than in 2011. But Facebook users are more concerned about invasion
of privacy than Google users are.
Users are least worried about Google sending them targeted ads based on
their web browsing history, with 26% very concerned.
Google Users' Concerns About the Website
How concerned are you about each of the following when using Google --
very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned or not concerned
at all? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?
Very concerned
Somewhat concerned
Not too/Not at all concerned
%
%
%
Your personal information being sold to and used by other companies and
organizations
57
25
17
Having Google track your location and location history
44
26
30
Invasion of privacy
35
30
35
Internet viruses
34
27
39
Having Google send you targeted ads based on your search and web browsing history
26
29
44
Gallup, April 2-8, 2018
Bottom Line
With more than a billion daily active users worldwide, Facebook has become
a treasure trove for companies and organizations that seek to use the
social networking site's data for their business and political aims.
With a majority of U.S. adults using the service in 2018, Zuckerberg faces
an enormous challenge to assuage this population's concerns about
its personal information being sold and used. Though the Cambridge Analytica
scandal resulted from a data leak rather than from Facebook selling the
data directly to the firm, the incident legitimized the concerns many
users have long had about what could be done with their information and
online activity. Concerns about their personal information, as well as
about invasion of their privacy, top all other worries they have about
the site -- including internet viruses, spam and their interactions with others.
Though Facebook is currently in the hot seat on Capitol Hill, other platforms
such as Google face similar challenges, with their users also concerned
about how their personal information is being used. While American users
may express concern, the reality is that these sites rely heavily on data
about users' activities and behavior. How they balance their operations
with their efforts to safeguard and respect users' data may be key
to their long-term viability.
Survey Methods
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted
April 2-8, 2018, on the Gallup U.S. Poll, with a random sample of 1,509
adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District
of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults,
the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95%
confidence level.
For results based on the total sample of 785 Facebook users, the margin
of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
For results based on the total sample of 1,106 Google users, the margin
of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects
for weighting.
Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone
respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas
by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are
selected using random-digit-dial methods.
