Are Consumers Concerned About Privacy? An Online Survey Emphasizing the General Data Protection Regulation

摘要

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European regulation that concerns basic rights for consumers surrounding the collection, use and storage of private data. This empirical paper reports on an online survey (n=216) among consumers and their perceptions of the outcomes of this new regulation. The following research question is investigated: To what extent are consumers aware of GDPR and its effects on their privacy rights? The questionnaire draws on selected themes derived from the 99 articles of the General Data Protection Regulation. We identified the following trends: About half of the respondents had heard about GDPR and knew the meaning and content of this regulation. About 26% of the respondents had a vague understanding, and 21% had never heard of GDPR. The findings suggest that the respondents had a favourable view of GDPR, but they were sceptical about its enforcement. They expressed a desire to have an influence over how personal data is collected, used and stored, but they were uncertain about the extent to which companies meet the requirements for carrying out these activities. This paper ends with practical recommendations and suggestions for future research studies.