Hispanics More Cautious Sharing Personal Info on SocNets

April 16, 2012

This article is included in these additional categories:

Analytics, Automated & MarTech | Boomers & Older | Brand Metrics | Hispanic | Men | Privacy & Security | Social Media | Staffing | Women | Youth & Gen X

usamp-hispanics-social-media-info-sharing-april2012.jpgAlthough Hispanics are more likely than the general population to have become members of a variety of social networks, they are less likely to want a share a host of personal information on these sites, according to [pdf] survey results released in April 2012 by uSamp. Comparing responses from a survey of its Hispanic panel to results from a general population survey it conducted in December 2011, uSamp found that the Hispanic respondents were far less likely to share information such as their name (65% vs. 87%), relationship status (43% vs. 74%), personal photos (35% vs. 56%) and political affiliation (30% vs. 54%), while also shying away from divulging their occupation (49% vs. 62%), and race or ethnicity (67% vs. 78%). Interestingly, they were more willing to share the brands they like (69%) than any other form of information identified.

According to a National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and McAfee study released in November 2011, 51% of Americans are sharing less information on social media sites than they were a year ago.

3 in 4 Comfortable With Privacy Protection

Despite Hispanics’ unwillingness to share their personal information in a social media setting, for the most part, they appear to be comfortable with the level of privacy protection afforded them on these sites. Overall, 77.2% say they are either very comfortable (26.6%) or somewhat comfortable (50.6%) with the level of privacy protection, compared to 11.7% who are either somewhat (10.6%) or very (1.1%) uncomfortable.

Among Men, Elderly Have More Concerns

Looking at the attitudes towards information sharing across age groups, the uSamp survey finds that among men, those aged 50 and over tend to be less willing than those aged 18-24 to share most types of personal information, including their political affiliation (25.3% vs. 41.3%), shopping preferences (52% vs. 63.8%), and brands they like (58.7% vs. 73.8%). Interestingly, they were more willing to share their address and geographic location.

Among women, the gaps between younger and older groups were less pronounced, and in may cases, the oldest group was more likely than the youngest to be comfortable sharing the information. Those over 50 were, like men, more likely to share their geographic information, and were about as likely to share their political affiliation, shopping preferences, and brands they like. The younger group was more likely to be comfortable sharing personal photos and relationship status.

Other Findings:

  • Overall, Hispanic men were more likely than women on most counts to be willing to share their information in a social media setting. This mirrors the survey results from uSamp’s earlier survey (see link above), which found a similar pattern among the general population.
  • A slight majority of respondents said they control the privacy settings of their social media accounts by changing their primary settings to control who has access to what they publish. Roughly one-third said they use the default settings.
  • The most common activities performed most frequently on social media sites by these respondents are observing and reading profiles (61.5%), commenting on profiles and links (53.3%), and sharing status updates (51.7%).
  • About 7 in 10 respondents said they visit social media sites daily. The most popular sites are Facebook (90%), YouTube (57.4%), Google+ (47.2%), and Twitter (30.6%).

About the Data: The uSamp results are based on a survey of 650 members from its Hispanic panel, S?perOpini?n.com.

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