GGA Publishes First Global Consumer Identity Theft Survey

Generali Global Assistance (GGA) recently released survey findings, the first of their kind, in a press release which helps uncover the full scope of the identity theft problem around the world. Conducted by LEXIS on behalf of GGA in 9 key countries, the Cyber Barometer Survey gathered opinions from 800 consumers per country. The survey questionnaire was tailored to each consumer group (i.e., country) and investigated four important topics: online activities and personal protection strategies, worries regarding web and digital activities, their valuation of a cyber and digital protection service, and their intentions to buy such a service.

Among the many significant trends that surfaced, the most eye-opening was the magnitude of consumers’ fears concerning digital safety and identity theft globally. While almost half of all respondents (46%) stated that they are worried about cybercrime, a large majority (82%) declared that they consider an attack against their personal data as very stressful. Respondents indicated that some of their most common worries when browsing the web are related to payments and purchases (53%), child safety (48%), and identity theft (42%).

The survey found that while 65% of U.S. respondents are aware of digital and identity protection solutions, only 37% of European respondents could say the same. Regardless, intentions to buy these types of services are quite high around the world, with nearly half of all respondents globally stated that they are interested in digital protection services; respondents from Spain, Romania, Italy, and the United States showed the highest interest.

The interest in such digital protection services is not surprising given the lack of assurance that consumers are feeling internationally: 48% of global respondents believe companies and institutions are not doing enough to protect their personal information, which has led to 31% feeling very exposed to cybercrime and identity theft.

Although the survey exposed consumers’ doubts in today’s businesses, there is good news for financial institutions and insurers – 67% of respondents consider financial institutions credible to distribute a cyber and digital protection service, and 63% will be looking to their insurance company. With alerting and 24/7 assistance services rated as the most preferred features (57% and 54%, respectively), providing your customers with a comprehensive identity protection program that includes these features and more may be the ideal solution to re-instilling customer trust and demonstrating how you care about their most prominent worries.

Please find the Cyber Barometer Key Results available for download.

To learn more about meeting your customers’ needs with Generali Global Assistance’s award-winning identity protection, sign up for our newsletter on the right.