ICO ANNUAL TRACK
TOPLINE FINDINGS
SEPTEMBER 2014
SURVEY CONDUCTED ONLINE BETWEEN 15th and
21st AUGUST 2014
TOTAL NUMBERS OF RESPONDENTS
● GE was most ‘three-cornered’ election since 1920s
UK
ENGLAND
SCOTLAND
● Televised debates were major political mistake
DPA
1,054
224
● LD average
under1,575
Clegg <18% until
campaign began
WALES
NORTHERN
IRELAND
167
130
FOIA
1,422
1,134
-
183
105
TOTAL
2,997
2,188
224
350
235
2
SAMPLE PROFILE – EQUALITY & DIVERSITY
TOTAL NUMBERS OF RESPONDENTS
● GE was most ‘three-cornered’ election since 1920s
WOMEN
BME
● Televised debates were major political mistake
DPA under Clegg786
76 began
● LD average
<18% until campaign
DISABLED
18-24
401
175
FOIA
712
81
362
162
TOTAL
1,498
157
763
337
3
SOCIAL ISSUES
4
PERSONAL INFORMATION STILL A KEY ISSUE
% ranking as top three social issue
The National Health Service (NHS)
67%
Preventing crime
38%
National security
36%
Unemployment
35%
Equal rights for everyone
26%
Improving standards in education
22%
Protecting people's personal information
Environmental issues
19%
Protecting freedom of speech
Access to information held by local authorities
None of these
7th
21%
13%
7%
4%
10th
DATA PROTECTION
6
BROAD RANGE OF CONCERNS ABOUT PERSONAL
DATA
Which of the following are you concerned about? Organisations holding…
information about me, which is shared with
70%
other bodies without my consent
information about me without my knowledge
62%
information about me without keeping it
61%
secure
incorrect information about me
50%
too much information about me
out-of-date information about me
41%
34%
TWO THIRDS FEEL THEY HAVE LOST CONTROL
OVER PERSONAL DATA
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
63% AGREE
“You have lost control over
the way your information is
collected and processed.”
13% DISAGREE
8
WIDE RANGE OF CONCERNS ABOUT
ORGANISATIONS HOLDING INFORMATION
% of people “very” + “fairly” concerned about the following issues…
Passing or selling your personal details onto other
85%
organisations
77%
Not collecting and keeping your personal details secure
Sending or making unwanted emails, faxes, letters or
75%
telephone calls
67%
Requesting unnecessary, or more information than is needed
60%
Holding inaccurate or out-of-date information
Holding information for longer than is required
57%
Collecting and holding your information online
57%
Using cookies to store information relating to personal
50%
preference on websites
None of these
3%
9
FINANCIAL INFORMATION FAR MORE SENSITIVE
THAN ANY OTHER FORM
How sensitive do you consider the following to be?
NET: Not sensitive (1-5)
Financial information (including bank
statements and credit card details)
NET: Sensitive (6-8)
4% 14%
NET: Extremely sensitive (9-10)
81%
Address and phone number
18%
33%
50%
Health information
16%
36%
49%
18%
34%
48%
Details of telephone calls you have made
and received
10
ONLINE COMPANIES AND THOSE DEALT WITH
INFREQUENTLY CAUSE THE MOST CONCERN
Least concern
Most concern
Search engines and
social media networks
64%
Your school
7%
64%
Your local hospital
8%
A company you have
dealt with once /
infrequently
Online retailers
Supermarkets and
highstreet retailers
Supermarkets
45%
37%
29%
Your employers
14%
Your bank
15%
The police
17%
11
PERSONAL INFORMATION BEING LOST / STOLEN
AND UNSOLICITED CONTACT ARE MAIN CONCERNS
% of people “very” + “fairly” concerned about the following issues…
Information stolen by criminals hacking large websites
84%
Information lost by organisations not looking after it
79%
Nuisance and ‘cold’ calls
78%
Spam emails and texts
69%
Level of control over information on social networks
59%
Mobile apps accessing information on my phone
54%
Security services accessing information
44%
Cookies on websites
43%
Use of my health records for research purposes
43%
Cloud computing
25%
?
12
MOST HAVE HEARD LITTLE OR NOTHING ABOUT
THE EU “GOOGLE” RULING
Awareness of Court of Justice ruling
Likelihood to use this right
25% LIKELY
36%
38%
19%
39% UNLIKELY
7%
A great deal
A fair amount
A little
Nothing at all
13
MOST PEOPLE SAY THEY TAKE A RANGE OF
DIFFERENT STEPS TO PROTECT INFORMATION
Which of the following steps do you take?
I regularly check my bank and credit card statements for
80%
unfamiliar transactions
I make sure my computer is adequately protected (anti-virus,
77%
firewall, anti-spam software, etc.)
70%
I shred or destroy personal documents
65%
I use different passwords and PINs for different online accounts
I am careful about the personal information I share through
65%
social media networks
61%
I only share my personal information with organisations I trust
23%
I change the privacy settings on the websites I visit
I regularly request copies of my personal information files from
the organisations I have contact with
4%
14
ONE IN EIGHT ADULTS HAS REQUESTED TO SEE
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Uptake of personal data rights
Have requested
Never requested
12%
Situations likely to lead to a request
Being refused
To check medical
records
After being involved
in a court action
88%
52%
financial credit
Applying for financial
credit
29%
26%
23%
15
A COMBINATION OF FIVE MAIN CONTACT MODES
IS PREFERRED FOR RECEIVING ADVICE
How would you prefer to receive advice and guidance on your rights?
Website
42%
Email
35%
Face to face
33%
Letter in the post
Visit an office
32%
23%
16
FOUR IN FIVE (81%) APPROVE OF THE
INTRODUCTION OF A CERTIFICATION MARK
Would you approve or disapprove of a certification mark being introduced?
37%
44%
17%
1%
Strongly approve
1%
Tend to approve
Neither approve nor disapprove
Tend to disapprove
Strongly disapprove
17
FOUR IN FIVE (82%) SAY IT IS IMPORTANT TO
TEACH ABOUT DATA PROTECTION IN SCHOOLS
How important is it that personal information rights are taught in schools?
36%
46%
10%
4%
Very important
4%
Fairly important
Neither important nor unimportant
Fairly unimportant
Very unimportant
18
MAJORITY BELIEVE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE
INDEPENDENT REGULATOR OF DATA PROTECTION
How important is it that the DPA regulator is independent of Government?
53%
Very important
Fairly important
Neither important nor unimportant
Fairly unimportant
Very unimportant
26%
11%
2%
3%
19
FREEDOM OF
INFORMATION
20
OPINIONS MIXED ON THE AVAILABILITY AND
ACCESSIBILITY OF INFORMATION
Do you agree or disagree that … ?
“Information you want
about the Government
and other public
authorities is available
and accessible.”
11%
28%
Strongly agree
Tend to agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Tend to disagree
32%
Strongly disagree
8%
21%
21
NEARLY ONE IN TEN ADULTS HAS REQUESTED TO
SEE INFORMATION HELD BY GOVERNMENT
Situations likely to lead to a request
Uptake of FOIA rights
Have requested
Never requested
8%
Something affecting
10%
you personally
Planning permission
Public finances and
budgets
92%
Hospital and health
records
7%
6%
5%
22
NEARLY HALF (48%) SAY IT IS VERY IMPORTANT
FOR F.O.I.A. TO COVER PRIVATE CONTRACTORS
How important is it that private companies acting on behalf of public
authorities should be subject to the Freedom of Information Act?
27%
48%
9%
4%
6%
6%
Very important
Fairly important
Neither important nor unimportant
Fairly unimportant
Very unimportant
Don't know
23
OVER HALF (53%) WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE
ADVICE ON F.O.I.A. THROUGH A WEBSITE
How would you prefer to receive advice and guidance on your rights?
Website
53%
Email
43%
Letter in the post
Face to face
Visit an office
32%
25%
23%
24
NEARLY TWO THIRDS (63%) SAY IT IS IMPORTANT
TO TEACH ABOUT F.O.I.A. IN SCHOOLS
How important is it that freedom of information rights are taught in schools?
40%
23%
23%
9%
5%
Very important
Fairly important
Neither important nor unimportant
Fairly unimportant
Very unimportant
25
ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND
IMPROVED PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE ARE KEY BENEFITS
Being able to access information held by public authorities…
Promotes their accountability and
68%
transparency
Increases your knowledge of what they do
Increases your trust in them
Increases your confidence in them
63%
45%
41%
26
MAJORITY BELIEVE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE
INDEPENDENT REGULATOR OF F.O.I.A.
How important is it that the FOIA regulator is independent of Government?
56%
Very important
Fairly important
Neither important nor unimportant
Fairly unimportant
Very unimportant
23%
10%
5%
2%
27