Nearly half of Spaniards say they are concerned about sharing their personal information on the Internet and admit that social networks flood their day-to-day. However, only one in three actually know what happens to their data after it is shared, as reflected in the latest DYM Institute survey conducted by 20 Minutes.
The research—which compiles findings of Spaniards from 1,006 online interviews conducted between October 19 and 23, 2023—suggests that, in general, the population has mixed feelings about the role of social networks and technology in their lives. Are. Specifically, 48% admit to some concern when it comes to sharing their personal information digitally, although the percentage varies by age: people over the age of 65 are most concerned (57 %), with a difference of 15 points compared to young people between the ages of 18 and 35 (42%).
Overall, anxiety has fallen four points over the past three years, although, once again, there are differences by gender. In case of women, they have gone up from 59% in 2019 to 50% in this latest edition in 2022. Among men, however, the percentage has held steady: from 46% in 2019 to 45% in 2022.
The same thing happened on a global scale (DYM also collects 28,702 people from 39 countries in collaboration with WIN International): there was a three-point decrease in the concern of citizens from 2021 to 2022 (from 48 to 45%). However, alertness remains high in countries such as Thailand (75%), Brazil (68%) and Kenya (68%), while Germany (27%), Pakistan (30%) and Hong Kong (31%) rank last. are occupied. ,
In contrast, the lowest percentage of Spaniards (7%) attach no importance to the fact that their personal data is disseminated, and the remaining 45% attach medium importance to it.
Once they’ve shared their personal information with a data collector, only 35% say they know what happens to it, an increase of two percentage points from last year. Here people aged 36 to 45 have the most knowledge about the use of these personal data (38% say so), compared to young people between the ages of 18 and 34 (33%).
People aged 46 to 65: Main victims
In this sense, it is worth paying attention to the percentage of the population that has experienced improper use of their personal data in the past year. More than three out of every ten Spaniards have been victims of phishing, a technique by which a cybercriminal poses as a bank, a public body or a legitimate entity to steal personal information, extort money, or influence a user’s electronic device. Shows off with which he is used. Contacted via email.
Already more aggressively, 12% have suffered a leak of their personal data, with the group between the ages of 46 and 65 accounting for 42% of cases. Financial hacking follows with 8% of victims, of whom, the majority (33%) are people between the ages of 46 and 65 and women (66%). Another 7% say their email has been hacked, with a clear trend towards women, who account for 64% of cases.
Technologies help in day to day
Nevertheless, the general belief is that new technologies help to organize daily life better. This is confirmed by 45% of Spaniards surveyed, a particularly consistent response in the 18 to 24 year old age group, with 52% of those surveyed in total agreement; but also higher in the 65+ demographic (37%).
In contrast, only 7% deny that technology is a beneficial tool for better organizing on a day-to-day basis; This percentage rises to 8% for women and 11% for those above 65 years of age.
Social network effect
Thus, while some see technology as an effective tool for organizing, another similar percentage expresses concern about the “overwhelming” influence of social networks: 45% of Spaniards say they invade their lives. do, and only 9% deny that they are affected. ,
However, the trend is reversed in this segment with respect to other issues: young people are most aware of the influence of social networks on their lives, with a difference of up to six points with the 36 to 45 age group. years (50% vs. 44%).
Globally, the most popular response was highest among the 39 countries surveyed, with 22% of respondents strongly agreeing with the statement that “social media affects our lives.” The countries that experience the most attacks are Serbia (52.1%), Croatia (51.4%) and Slovenia (47.1%); compared to Ivory Coast (23.6%), Turkey (22.3%) and Argentina (15.1%) who do not share this sentiment
