In Global GfK Study, Canadians Show Strong Reluctance to Share Personal Data

In a newly released GfK study of 17 countries, Canadians were among
the least likely to say they will share personal data in exchange for
benefits and rewards.

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GfK asked people online to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree
with the statement, “I am willing to share my personal data (health,
financial, driving records, energy use, etc.) in exchange for benefits
or rewards like lower costs or personalized service” – using a scale
where “1” means “don’t agree at all” and “7” means “agree completely.”

Just 14% of Canadians strongly agreed (“1” or “2” on the 7-point scale)
with the statement, compared to a global average of 27 percent. In
addition, almost one-third (31%) of Canadians firmly disagreed with the
idea of data sharing – much higher than the global average of 19%.

Canadian men and women were almost equally likely to agree with the idea
of providing personal information – 13% for women and 15% for men;
globally, the figures for both genders were identical, at 27%. Levels of
disagreement among men and women were also very similar in Canada and
globally.

Canadians in the 20- to 29-year-old age group were most likely to
express willingness to share data, with a 24% agreement rate. Globally,
the 20-to-29 and 30-to-39 age groups were almost equal in willingness,
at 33% and 34% respectively.

People in China are most ready to share their personal data in exchange
for benefits, with 38 percent of the online population saying they are
firmly willing to do so and only eight percent firmly unwilling. Other
countries with higher than average levels of willingness are Mexico (30
percent), Russia (29 percent) and Italy (28 percent).

US consumers were much closer to the global averages in both agreeing
(25%) and disagreeing (23%) with information sharing in exchange for
benefits.

About the study

GfK conducted the online survey with over 22,000 consumers aged 15 or
older across 17 countries. Fieldwork was completed in summer 2016. Data
are weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the online
population aged 15+ in each market. Countries covered are Argentina,
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, Spain, UK and USA.

Contacts

PUNCH
Hwee Yee Tan, 416.360.6522
hwee@punchcanada.com
or
VP,
MarComms
David Stanton, 908.875.9844
david.stanton@gfk.com