1996 Equifax/Harris Consumer Privacy Survey
Introduction
The 1996 Equifax-Harris Consumer Privacy Survey marks the seventh in
a series of surveys sponsored by Equifax Inc. and conducted by Louis Harris
and Associates, Inc. This year's survey contains four main areas of inquiry
beginning with an overall look at some general but key privacy issues.
The first step is to set privacy protection in context among several other
issues important to the American public. The report compares data gathered
from the current and previous privacy surveys about the protection of privacy
information as we head toward the millennium. The second area of inquiry
explores the public's reactions to the use of information by businesses
and medical professionals to help them make decisions or to advance research.
As will be demonstrated in the results, the public's attitudes about the
use of information varies according to the type of information being sought.
A third focus centers on the Internet and the public's interest in various
on-line services as well as their attitudes toward some very topical issues
in the Internet arena. Finally, the survey provides a 1996 look at attitudes
toward and behavior relevant to direct marketing. Also presented are the
results of an initial gauging of the public's reactions to pre-approved
offers of insurance.
The survey results are based on 1,005 telephone interviews conducted
July 20-29, 1996. All interviewing took place with adults 18 years and
older, representing a cross-section of adults in the 48 contiguous United
States. Completed interviews were weighted according to age, education,
race, and sex to bring the sample profile in line with the overall profile
of adults in the 48 states. Appendix A provides a more detailed description
of the methodology, including weighting and a profile of the sample. A
copy of the questionnaire with top-line results can be found in Appendix
B.
A Note on Interpreting the Results
The base for each question is the total number of respondents answering
that question. All base sizes shown in the report are unweighted; percentages
are weighted. An asterisk (*) in a table signifies a value of less than
one-half percent (0.5%). A dash (-) represents a value of zero. Percentages
may not always add to 100 because of computer rounding or the acceptance
of multiple answers from respondents. Note that in some cases results may
be based on small sample sizes (N<50). This is typically true when sub-group
comparisons are made. Caution should be used in drawing any conclusions
from the results based on these small samples.
Finally, reference numbers located in the bottom left corner of the
tables and figures in this report refer to specific banners and tables
in the full set of cross-tabulations.
The Equifax-Harris Consumer Privacy Survey 1996 is scheduled to be released
October 31, 1996. The data from the survey can be accessed approximately
six months after the survey is released from The University of North Carolina.
Contact the Louis Harris Data Center, CB 3355, Manning Hall, Room 25, University
of North Carolina, NC, 27599-3355; phone (919) 962-0517.
Public Release of Survey Findings
All Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. surveys are designed to adhere
to the code of conduct of the Council of American Survey Research Organizations
(CASRO) and the code of the National Council of Public Polls (NCPP). Because
data from this survey will be released to the public, any release must
stipulate that the complete report is also available.
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