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1996 Equifax/Harris Consumer Privacy Survey

Executive Summary

 

 

1. Nearly two thirds of the public (65%) say "protecting the privacy of consumer information" is "very" important to them. This figure represents a significant four-point increase since 1995 when 61% expressed a similar feeling.

    • Although privacy is obviously important to a majority of the public, it is not the most important. "Controlling the cost of medical insurance" and "staying out of excessive debt," for example, are "very" important to 87% of the public.

 

    • More than three in four people (76%) say "reducing insurance fraud" is "very" important to them and 67% say the same of "controlling false advertising."

2. By a margin of two to one the public identifies actual experiences (either directly or indirectly) versus what they see or hear in the media as having the most influence on how they view business practices.

    • Nearly one in two people (49%) say their "own personal experiences" have the greatest influence on their attitudes about whether businesses today are handling personal consumer data in a proper way and another 17% say "the experiences of their friends" have had the greatest influence.

 

    • Nearly a third (32%) say "the media" have the most influence on their attitudes toward business practices.

3. The number of people who say they have been the victim of what they felt was an improper invasion of privacy remains virtually unchanged since 1991.

    • Today one in four people (24%) say they have personally experienced a privacy invasion. The figure was 25% in both 1995 and 1991, and 19% in 1978.

4. Recent survey figures suggest that the public may be becoming more optimistic in their outlook toward privacy protection in the year 2000.

    • In 1992, more than half of the public (55%) predicted that privacy protection in the year 2000 would get worse and only 12% thought it would get better. By 1995 only 41% of the public thought privacy protection would get worse and only 44% think so today.

 

    • Along with the drop in pessimism is a slight increase in optimism. In 1992, 12% of the public predicted privacy protection would get better. That figure increased to 16% in 1995 and is at 17% today.

5. By a margin of two to one, the public expresses a preference for the present system of privacy protection over a federal government Privacy Commission.

    • Compared to the 67% who say they would prefer the present system, only 28% say a federal government Privacy Commission would be best to protect the confidentiality of consumer information in the U.S.

 

    • The preference for the present system is also evident among a majority of privacy pessimists (63%) (i.e., those people who predict that privacy protection will get worse in the year 2000).

6. More than half the public feel it is very acceptable for businesses to use criminal record and motor vehicle information to help combat fraud. They are less enthusiastic, however, about letting businesses have access to medically-related information.

    • Among a list of six types of information, the type of information that appears to be most acceptable for use in preventing fraud and abuse is "criminal record information regarding an applicant's conviction for fraud" with 60% of the public indicating it would be "very" acceptable if businesses were to access this information in order to combat insurance fraud.

 

    • More than half (51%) also say it would be "very" acceptable to access "motor vehicle records to identify an applicant's dangerous driving history."

 

    • No more than four in ten people, however, feel it would be "very" acceptable to use "workers compensation data to verify an applicant's previous injuries or disabilities" (40%), or "health claims data to verify information the applicant supplied on an insurance application" (36%), or "medical records to verify any history of diseases, illnesses, and injuries asked about on the application" (31%).

 

    • The type of information the public seems most protective of is "pharmaceutical data to identify prescriptions the applicant is taking for medical conditions not listed on the application." Only 25% of the public feel it is "very" acceptable for businesses to use this information, while 26% feel it is "not at all" acceptable.

7. More than half of the public would find the practice of using their patient records for research at least "somewhat" acceptable, though only one in five would find this "very" acceptable.

 

    • Overall, 57% of the public would find the use of their patient records in medical research either "very" (18%) or "somewhat" (39%) acceptable.

 

    • Nearly one third (31%) say such use of their medical records would be "not at all" acceptable.

8. Judging by their anticipation of negative effects if businesses were not able to access credit reports, the majority of people appear to recognize the benefits that these reports provide to consumers.

 

    • Leading the list of five consequences of the inability to obtain credit reports is an "increase in the cost of credit to cover increases in bad debt" an outcome that 47% of the public think would be "very likely" to happen and another 44% think "probably" would happen.

 

    • Other outcomes considered "very likely" to happen include: "many businesses [asking for loans] to be secured" (42%), "many businesses [cutting] back on extending credit, to only the best customers" (34%), and "[taking] several weeks rather than several days to get a loan approved" (31%).

 

    • One in four (26%) also think that "people with good credit records would not get the lower costs that their records deserve" if accurate and relevant consumer credit reports were not available.

9. Most people appear to accept businesses' use of formulas from credit reporting companies that help to identify customers whose debt levels and spending patterns strongly suggest they will go bankrupt or become seriously delinquent.

    • One quarter of the public (24%) say the use of formulas from credit reporting agencies to assess the likelihood of bankruptcy is "very" fair.

 

    • The majority of the public (55%) think the use of bankruptcy formulas is "somewhat" fair.

10. At least half of the public express interest in on-line services related to obtaining credit reports and health-related information. Not surprisingly, the biggest predictor of interest is not simply computer use, but use of on-line services and the Internet.

    • Overall, 22% of the public would be "very" interested in a computer-based on-line service that would let them identify themselves with a special password, in order to receive on-line their latest credit report and another 29% would be "somewhat" interested. One third of on-line service users (33%) and 35% of Internet users say they would be "very" interested in such a service (compared to 19% of non-on-line service users and 18% of non-Internet users).

 

    • Half of the public (50%) say they would be interested in an on-line computer service providing information to choose physicians, hospitals, and health plans 16% say they would be "very" interested and 34% say they would be "somewhat" interested. Computer users (17%) especially those who use on-line services (25%) or access the Internet (24%) show greater interest than non-computer users (15%, 14%, and 14%, respectively, say they are "very" interested).

 

    • Overall, 17% of the public say they would be "very" interested in accessing health and wellness educational information on-line, and another 34% would be "somewhat" interested. On-line service users (25%), and people who access the Internet (24%) are among those most likely to say they would be "very" interested in the service.

11. Public opinion is divided regarding privacy protection on the Internet, with Internet users leaning toward greater privacy protection and less intervention on the part of the government.

    • Nearly half of the public agree that users should be able to visit Internet sites and use e-mail without having to give their real identities 21% agree "strongly," 27% agree "somewhat," and half disagree, with 21% disagreeing "somewhat" and 29% disagreeing "strongly." Among Internet users, however, the majority agree that this anonymity should exist 30% agree "strongly" and another 30% agree "somewhat."

 

    • When it comes to whether the government needs to be able to scan Internet messages and user communications in order to prevent fraud and other crimes, the public leans toward agreement with 32% agreeing "strongly" and 30% agreeing "somewhat." A difference of opinion is revealed, however, when Internet users are compared with non-users only 51% of Internet users agree that the government should be able to do this compared to 64% of non-users who think so.

 

    • The majority of the public (64%) disagree that providers of on-line services should be able to track the places users go on the Internet in order to send these users targeted marketing offers. An even greater proportion of Internet users (71%) disagree with 43% of them disagreeing "strongly."

12. The public appears to have made a notable shift over the past few years in how they regard mail offers received at their homes. Compared to 1991 and 1994 when nearly half of the public said they regard mail offers as a nuisance (46% and 47% respectively), less than four in ten (37%) say they feel that way today.

    • Complementing this finding is the increase in the percentage of people who say they rarely use mail offers but do not see them as a problem (38% felt this way in 1991, and 35% in 1994 compared to 43% who feel this way today).

 

    • There has also been a gradual but steady increase in the percentage of people who regard mail offers at their homes as a useful opportunity (6% felt this way in 1991, 10% in 1994, and 12% in 1996).

 

    • Only 7% of the public currently regard mail offers sent to their home as invasions of privacy. (In 1991 this figure was 9%; in 1994 it was 7%.)

13. The percentage of people who report being aware of any procedures that allow one to remove one's name from direct mail lists for catalogs, products, and services has remained constant from 1991 to the present at 44%.

    • The people most likely to report being aware of the procedures to have names removed from direct mail lists are the same people most likely to have ordered something in the past year. Overall, 52% of those who say they have ordered something in the past year also say they are aware of the procedures (v. 33% among those who have not ordered something in the past year).

 

    • Notably, only 29% of those people who consider mail offers an invasion of privacy are aware of the procedures that would allow them to remove their names from direct mail lists.

14. If a procedure were available to have one's name removed from all mailing lists, some mailing lists, or no mailing lists, three out of four people (73%) would elect to have their names removed from only some lists.

    • Assuming such a procedure were available, only 15% say they would have their names removed from all lists, while only 12% say they would have their names removed from no lists.

 

    • The corresponding figures in 1991 were 64% (for some lists), 22% (for all lists), and 13% (for no lists), demonstrating an increased desire to receive at least some direct mailings.

 

    • Even among the groups of people who have: experienced invasions of privacy, think of mail offers as invasions of privacy, think of mail offers as a nuisance, and who have not ordered in the past year majorities would still want to keep their names on some direct mail lists (69%, 64%, 73%, and 64%, respectively).

15. Most people feel the practice of compiling profiles of individual consumers' purchasing patterns and using this information to mail offers of goods and services to consumers who appear likely to be interested in these products is at least "somewhat" acceptable (66%); 11% feel it is "very" acceptable; 55% say it is "somewhat" acceptable.

    • Not surprisingly, the greatest support for purchase pattern profiling comes from people who feel mail offers are useful opportunities (24% v. 14% or less among people who do not view mail offers this way).

 

    • In contrast, 47% of the people who regard mail offers as invasions of privacy say that that consumer purchase pattern profiling is "not at all" acceptable.

16. Just over half the public would find the practice of sending pre-approved offers of insurance by mail "very" or "somewhat" acceptable when it comes to offers of automobile and other property insurance (52%) and life insurance (51%).

    • More than one in four, however, would find this practice "not at all" acceptable (26% for auto/property and 27% for life).

 

    • The figures do not change significantly when people are asked about the acceptability of using credit report information in order to qualify consumers for these pre-approved offers. With regard to auto and other property insurance, 55% of the public would find this practice "very" or "somewhat" acceptable. For life insurance, the corresponding figure is 45%.

 

    • When people are told that consumers who are not interested in receiving these pre-approved offers of insurance could have their names and addresses removed from these mailing lists, the percentage of people overall who would find it acceptable to use credit report information to qualify consumers for these pre-approved offers reaches 90% for automobile or other property insurance and 88% for life insurance.

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