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Topline questionnaire
2019 PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL
WAVE 49 JUNE 2019
FINAL TOPLINE
JUNE 3-17, 2019
TOTAL N=4,272
THE QUESTIONS PRESENTED BELOW ARE PART OF A LARGER SURVEY CONDUCTED ON THE
AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL. OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS SURVEY HAVE EITHER BEEN
PREVIOUSLY RELEASED OR HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE.
ASK ALL:
SECUR1 Compared with five years ago, do you feel your personal information is…
[REVERSE ORDER OF OPTIONS 1 AND 2 FOR HALF OF RESPONDENTS]
June 3-17,
2019
6
More secure
70
Less secure
24
About the same
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
PRIVACYOPENa In your own words, what does “privacy” mean to you?
June 3-17,
2019
28
Other people and organizations not being able to access their
possessions or private life
26
Control over information, possessions, self; deciding what’s accessible
to others
15
Themselves, their personal information and possessions, the desire to
keep things to themselves
4
Having their information sold, third party involvement
3
General security references, i.e. “secure,” “guarded,” “protective”
2
Tracking, surveillance, monitoring, spying
2
Privacy is a myth/means nothing/doesn’t exist
2
Crime, hacking, fraud, any threats of illicit activity
2
Threat from the government regarding themselves, possessions or
private life
1
Personal information is only accessible with the person’s knowledge or
consent
*
Spam, unwanted calls or solicitations
4
Other
17
Did not answer
ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
PRIVACYOPENb In your own words, what does “digital privacy” mean to you?
June 3-17,
2019
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17
Themselves, their personal information and possessions, the desire to
keep things to themselves
14
Control over information, possessions, self; deciding what’s accessible
to others
13
Other people and organizations not being able to access their
possessions or private life
9
Privacy is a myth/means nothing/doesn’t exist
6
Having their information sold, third party involvement
5
Crime, hacking, fraud, any threats of illicit activity
4
General security references, i.e. “secure,” “guarded,” “protective”
3
Tracking, surveillance, monitoring, spying
2
Company measures, how websites/companies should secure data,
terms of service, privacy settings
2
Personal information is only accessible with the person’s knowledge or
consent
1
Threat from the government regarding themselves, possessions or
private life
4
Other
31
Did not answer
Threat from the government regarding themselves, possessions or private life
ASK ALL:
PRIVACYNEWS1 How closely, if at all, do you follow news about privacy issues?
June 3-17,
2019
11
Very closely
46
Somewhat closely
33
Not too closely
10
Not at all closely
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF TRACKCO1a AND TRACKCO1b]
TRACKCO1a As far as you know, how much of what you do ONLINE or on your cellphone is
being tracked by advertisers, technology firms or other companies?
[RANDOMIZE]
June 3-17,
2019
41
All or almost all of it
31
Most of it
19
Some of it
4
Very little of it
4
None of it
1
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
TRACKCO1b As far as you know, how much of what you do OFFLINE – like where you are or
who you are talking to – is being tracked by advertisers, technology firms or
other companies? [RANDOMIZE]
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June 3-17,
2019
12
All or almost all of it
19
Most of it
38
Some of it
20
Very little of it
11
None of it
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF CONCERNCO AND BENEFITCO]
CONCERNCO How concerned are you, if at all, about how companies are using the data they
collect about you?
June 3-17,
2019
36
Very concerned
43
Somewhat concerned
17
Not too concerned
4
Not at all concerned
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
BENEFITCO How much do you feel you personally benefit from the data that companies
collect about you?
June 3-17,
2019
5
A great deal
23
Some
49
Very little
23
None
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
CONTROLCO How much control do you think you have over the data that companies collect
about you?
June 3-17,
2019
3
A great deal of control
15
Some control
51
Very little control
30
No control
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
UNDERSTANDCO How much do you feel you understand what companies are doing with the data
they collect about you?
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June 3-17,
2019
6
A great deal
34
Some
48
Very little
11
Nothing
1
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
POSNEGCO On balance, which would you say most accurately describes how you feel?
[RANDOMIZE]
June 3-17,
2019
17
The benefits I get from companies collecting data about me outweigh
the potential risks
81
The potential risks of companies collecting data about me outweigh the
benefits I get
2
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
ANONYMOUS1CO Do you think it is possible to go about daily life today without having companies
collect data about you?
June 3-17,
2019
38
Yes, it is possible
62
No, it is not possible
*
No Answer
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ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF TRACKGOV1a AND TRACKGOV1b]
TRACKGOV1a As far as you know, how much of what you do ONLINE or on your cellphone is
being tracked by the government?
June 3-17,
2019
24
All or almost all of it
23
Most of it
30
Some of it
14
Very little of it
9
None of it
*
No answer
ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
TRACKGOV1b As far as you know, how much of what you do OFFLINE – like where you are or
who you are talking to – is being tracked by the government?
June 3-17,
2019
11
All or almost all of it
13
Most of it
33
Some of it
27
Very little of it
16
None of it
*
No answer
ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF CONCERNGOV AND BENEFITGOV]
CONCERNGOV How concerned are you, if at all, about how the government is using the data it
collects about you?
June 3-17,
2019
25
Very concerned
39
Somewhat concerned
26
Not too concerned
10
Not at all concerned
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
BENEFITGOV How much do you feel you personally benefit from the data the government
collects about you?
June 3-17,
2019
4
A great deal
19
Some
42
Very little
34
None
1
No Answer
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ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
CONTROLGOV How much control do you think you have over the data the government collects
about you?
June 3-17,
2019
4
A great deal of control
12
Some control
41
Very little control
43
No control
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
UNDERSTANDGOV How much do you feel you understand what the government is doing with the
data they collect about you?
June 3-17,
2019
4
A great deal
17
Some
53
Very little
25
Nothing
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
POSNEGGOV On balance, which would you say most accurately describes how you feel?
[RANDOMIZE]
June 3-17,
2019
31
The benefits the government can provide by collecting data about me
and others outweigh the potential risks
66
The potential risks of the government collecting data about me and
others outweigh the benefits it can provide
4
No Answer
ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
ANONYMOUS1GOV Do you think it is possible to go about daily life today without having the
government collect data about you?
June 3-17,
2019
36
Yes, it is possible
63
No, it is not possible
1
No Answer
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ASK ALL:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF QUESTIONS A-F]
CONCERNGRP Now thinking about specific people or groups who might have access to your
personal information… How concerned are you, if at all, about how much
personal information the following people or groups might know about you?
Concerned a lot
Concerned a little
Not concerned
a. [FORM 1 [N=2,140]] Law
enforcement agencies
June 3-17, 2019
26
36
39
b. [FORM 1 [N=2,140]] Advertisers
June 3-17, 2019
39
44
16
c. [FORM 1 AND EMPLOYED
[N=1,313]] Your employer
June 3-17, 2019
19
39
42
d. [FORM 2 [N=2,132]] The
companies you buy things from
June 3-17, 2019
30
50
20
e. [FORM 2 [N=2,132]] Your
friends and family
June 3-17, 2019
9
34
57
f. [FORM 2 AND SOCIAL MEDIA
USER [N=1,778]] The social
media sites you use
June 3-17, 2019
40
46
14
ASK ALL:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF QUESTIONS A-F]
CONTROLGRP Now thinking about specific types of information that different entities might
want to know about you… How much control, if any, do you think you have over
who can access the following types of information about you?
A lot of control
A little control
No control
a. [FORM 1 AND SOCIAL MEDIA
USER [N=1,800]] Your posts and
activities on social media
June 3-17, 2019
16
50
35
b. [FORM 1[N=2,140]] The search
terms you use online
June 3-17, 2019
9
39
48
c. [FORM 1 [N=2,140]] The
purchases you’ve made, either
online or in person
June 3-17, 2019
12
43
45
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d. [FORM 2 [N=2,132]] Your
physical location
June 3-17, 2019
18
54
28
e. [FORM 2 [N=2,132]] The
websites you visit
June 3-17, 2019
10
44
41
f. [FORM 2 [N=2,132]] The private
conversations you’ve had online or
using text messaging
June 3-17, 2019
13
49
37
ASK ALL:
PP1 How often are you asked to agree to the terms and conditions of a company’s
privacy policy?
June 3-17,
2019
25
Almost daily
32
About once a week
24
About once a month
15
Less frequently
3
Never
*
No answer
ASK IF EVER ASKED TO AGREE TO PRIVACY POLICY (PP1=1-4) [N=4,170]:
PP2 When you are asked to agree to a company’s privacy policy, how often do you
read it before agreeing to it?
June 3-17,
2019
9
Always
14
Often
39
Sometimes
37
Never
1
No answer
ASK IF READ PRIVACY POLICIES BEFORE AGREEING (PP2=1,2,3) [N=2,571]:
PP3 When you read a privacy policy, what do you typically do? [REVERSE ORDER
OF RESPONSE OPTIONS FOR ½ OF RESPONDENTS]
June 3-17,
2019
22
Read it all the way through
35
Read it part of the way through
43
Glance over it without reading it closely
*
No answer
ASK IF EVER READS PRIVACY POLICIES (PP2=1,2,3) [N=2,571]:
PP4 How much do you typically understand the privacy policies you read?
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June 3-17,
2019
13
A great deal
55
Some
29
Very little
3
Not at all
*
No Answer
ASK ALL:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF QUESTION A-E]
PP5 How confident are you, if at all, that companies will do the following things?
Very confident
Somewhat
confident
Not too
confident
Not confident
at all
No Answer
a. Follow what their privacy
policies say they will do with
your personal information
June 3-17, 2019
5
37
40
17
1
b. Promptly notify you if your
personal data has been
misused or compromised
June 3-17, 2019
5
30
41
24
1
c. Publicly admit mistakes and
take responsibility when
they misuse or compromise
their users’ personal data
June 3-17, 2019
3
18
46
32
*
d. Use your personal
information in ways you will
feel comfortable with
June 3-17, 2019
4
27
47
22
1
e. Be held accountable by the
government if they misuse
or compromise your data
June 3-17, 2019
4
21
43
32
*
ASK ALL:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF QUESTIONS A-C]
PP6 How comfortable are you, if at all, with companies using your personal data in
the following ways?
Very
comfortable
Somewhat
comfortable
Not too
comfortable
Not comfortable
at all
No Answer
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a. To help improve their
fraud prevention
systems
June 3-17, 2019
10
47
29
13
1
b. Sharing it with outside
groups doing research
that might help
improve society
June 3-17, 2019
6
30
37
27
*
c. To help them develop
new products
June 3-17, 2019
8
42
31
18
*
ASK ALL:
PRIVACYREG How much do you feel you understand the laws and regulations that are
currently in place to protect your data privacy?
June 3-17,
2019
3
A great deal
33
Some
49
Very little
14
Not at all
*
No Answer
ASK FORM 1 [N=2,140]:
GOVREGV1 How much government regulation of what companies can do with their
customers’ personal information do you think there should be? [RANDOMIZE]
June 3-17,
2019
75
More regulation
8
Less regulation
16
About the same amount
1
No Answer
ASK FORM 2 [N=2,132]:
GOVREGV2 Which of the following do you think would be a more effective way to safeguard
people’s personal information? [RANDOMIZE]
June 3-17,
2019
55
Better tools for allowing people to control their personal information
themselves
44
Stronger laws governing what companies can and cannot do with
people’s personal information
1
No Answer
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ASK ALL:
PROFILE1 Today it is possible to take personal data about people from many different
sources – such as their purchasing and credit histories, their online browsing or
search behaviors, or their public voting records – and combine them together to
create detailed profiles of people’s potential interests and characteristics.
Companies and other organizations use these profiles to offer targeted
advertisements or special deals, or to assess how risky people might be as
customers.
Prior to today, how much had you heard or read about this concept?
June 3-17,
2019
27
A lot
50
A little
22
Nothing at all
1
No Answer
ASK IF HAVE HEARD OF DATA PROFILES (PROFILE1=1-2) [N=3,361]:
PROFILE2 How many companies do you think use these types of profiles to help understand
their customers?
June 3-17,
2019
17
All of them
57
Most of them
18
Some of them
2
Only a few of them
4
Not sure
*
No Answer
ASK IF HAVE HEARD OF DATA PROFILES (PROFILE1=1-2) [N=3,361]:
PROFILE3 Do you ever see advertisements or solicitations that appear to be based on a
profile that has been made of you using your personal data?
June 3-17,
2019
49
Yes, frequently
34
Yes, on occasion
9
No
7
Not sure
*
No Answer
ASK IF EVER SEE ADS BASED ON PERSONAL DATA (PROFILE3=1,2) [N=2,816]:
PROFILE4 How much, if at all, do you understand what data about you is being used to
create these advertisements?
June 3-17,
2019
14
A great deal
50
Somewhat
31
Not too much
4
Not at all
*
No Answer
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ASK IF EVER SEE ADS BASED ON PERSONAL DATA (PROFILE3=1,2) [N=2,816]:
PROFILE5 In general, how well do these advertisements accurately reflect your actual
interests and characteristics?
June 3-17,
2019
7
Very well
54
Somewhat well
33
Not too well
5
Not well at all
*
No Answer
ASK ALL:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF QUESTIONS A-F]
DATAUSE Now thinking about other ways that private companies and government agencies
might use data or information they collect about people…
In your opinion, do you think the following uses of data or information are
acceptable or unacceptable?
Acceptable
Unacceptable
Not sure
a. [FORM 1 [N=2,140] The
government collecting data about
all Americans to assess who might
be a potential terrorist threat
June 3-17, 2019
49
31
19
b. [FORM 1 [N=2,140]] Poorly
performing schools sharing data
about their students with a
nonprofit group seeking to help
improve educational outcomes
June 3-17, 2019
49
27
24
c. [FORM 1 [N=2,140]] DNA
testing companies sharing their
customers’ genetic data with law
enforcement agencies in order to
help solve crimes
June 3-17, 2019
48
33
18
d. [FORM 2 [N=2,132]] Makers of a
fitness tracking app sharing their
users’ data with medical
researchers seeking to better
understand the link between
exercise and heart disease
June 3-17, 2019
41
35
22
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e. [FORM 2 [N=2,132]] A social
media company monitoring its
users’ posts for signs of
depression, so they can identify
people who are at risk of self-harm
and connect them to counseling
services
June 3-17, 2019
27
45
27
f. [FORM 2 [N=2,132]] Makers of
smart speakers sharing audio
recordings of their customers with
law enforcement to help with
criminal investigations
June 3-17, 2019
25
49
25
ASK ALL:
[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF QUESTIONS A-C]
DB1 In the last 12 months, have you had someone… [RANDOMIZE]
Yes
No
No Answer
a. Put fraudulent charges on your
debit or credit card
June 3-17, 2019
21
78
1
b. Take over your social media or
email account without your
permission
June 3-17, 2019
8
91
1
c. Attempt to open a line of credit or
apply for a loan using your name
June 3-17, 2019
6
93
1