MEF’s 8th Annual Global Trust Study was carried out in February and March 2022. On behalf of MEF, On Device Research surveyed 6,500 smartphone users, 650 in each of 10 markets. This is the fourth year that Assurant has worked with the MEF to explore people's global, regional, and individual sentiments surrounding mobile services, privacy, personal information, identity, and trust.
This year, the team added an independently studied cohort to the 8th MEF Global Trust Report effort: United States college students, i.e., people studying at a U.S. 4-year undergraduate private or public college or university.
Dispelling Youth-Related Privacy & Technology Myths There are many common myths about "young people," most notably that young people don't care about privacy despite being all-in on technology. However, this myth does not hold up to scrutiny as this and several other studies dispel it. The study finds that students are modestly more trusting of mobile apps and services than the broader population, including social media apps, but this does not mean they do not care about their privacy or take actions to protect themselves. While students are active users of mobile apps and services, this year’s study shows that more students take actions to protect themselves than the broader population.
Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) is a leading global provider of lifestyle and housing solutions that support, protect and connect major consumer purchases. Anticipating the evolving needs of consumers, Assurant partners with the world’s leading brands to develop innovative products and services and to deliver an enhanced customer experience.
A Fortune 500 company with a presence in 21 countries, Assurant offers mobile device solutions; extended service contracts; vehicle protection services; pre-funded funeral insurance; renters insurance; lender-placed insurance products; and other specialty products. The Assurant Foundation strengthens communities by supporting charitable partners that help protect where people live and can thrive, connect with local resources, inspire inclusion and prepare leaders of the future.Students display slightly more trust when sharing personal data and in content they find on the internet, however there is still a considerable level of unease.
As also observed in the broader population study, there is a perception of some improvement in data privacy and security. The greatest perceived change relates to user education and enablement rather than actions taken by enterprises or regulators to improve the environment.
Compared to the broader population, more students have taken at least one form of protective action. Several actions are more common among students, including using a personal data store or information management service. As a result, they are also more likely to say that they feel ‘a lot’ safer.
Many still do not consider themselves well protected: 1 in 4 self-classify as ‘Helpless’ when it comes to protecting themselves from data harm.
MEF Members get exclusive access to the full Global Trust Report, including the underlying, by-country raw data to undertake their own analysis. Non-MEF Members can download an executive summary of the findings.
Log in to see report
