Only 1 in 4 Consumers Feel More in Control of Their Data Than Last Year

May 11, 2021

This article is included in these additional categories:

Boomers & Older | Customer-Centric | Data-driven | Demographics & Audiences | Personalization | Privacy & Security | Youth & Gen X

HarrisPollAdweek Consumer Control of Data May2021While marketers struggle to gain insights from customer data, a majority of consumers feel like they have no control over the data companies are collecting about them. Indeed, a recent survey from The Harris Poll and Adweek shows that 28% of consumers feel they have less control over their data than they did a year ago.

Things don’t look much better on the other end of the scale. Only about one-quarter (23%) of the more than 1,000 US consumers surveyed feel they have more control over how companies collect, store and share their data than they did last year.

A closer examination of the data shows that younger consumers feel more control over their data than older consumers. Some 36% of Gen Z consumers report feeling more control over their data today than they did a year ago, as do 35% of Millennials. However, only 7% of Baby Boomers are able to say the same.

Although lack of control over data remains an issue, more than half (56%) of consumers say they want platforms to personalize the news and content they receive based on their interests, tastes and online activity. Again, Gen Z (70%) and Millennials (71%) are most interested in seeing personalized content, while fewer Baby Boomers (37%) are interested.

Meanwhile, only about 3 in 10 (28%) say they don’t want personalized content or news. The top reason these individuals give for not wanting to see personalized content on news and media platforms is not wanting to be tracked online (49%).

Another third say they think personalized content is creepy. Indeed, the line between what parts of personalization are creepy or cool is one that marketers across the globe have been treading for some time now. Nonetheless, about two-thirds (65%) of the consumers surveyed believe that news and media platforms are doing a good job of personalizing content.

Read more here.

About the Data: Findings are based on a survey of 1,065 US adults (18+).

Chart-Library-Ad-1

Explore More Articles.

Marketing Charts Logo

Stay on the cutting edge of marketing.

Sign up for our free newsletter.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This