Cybersecurity

Many Americans do not trust modern institutions to protect their personal data – even as they frequently neglect cybersecurity best practices in their own personal lives.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s tour of the United States comes at a time of many tensions between the two nations. Our surveys capture American public opinion toward China, and Chinese public opinion toward the U.S.

Much of the focus has been on government surveillance, though there are also significant concerns about how businesses use data.

Survey respondents from the report Privacy and Information Sharing were presented with six hypothetical scenarios, each of which involved sharing some level of personal data in exchange for using a product or service.

Many Americans say they might provide personal information in commercial settings, depending on the deal being offered and how much risk they face.

Pew Research Center performed an analysis of 1,041,336 apps in the Google Play Store as of September 2014 to determine the specific permissions requested by each app.

Analysis of over 1 million apps in Google’s Android operating system in 2014 shows apps can seek 235 different kinds of permissions from smartphone users. The average app asks for five permissions.

Americans see a number of economic threats from China, but they are also worried about cyberattacks, Bejing's human rights record, China's impact on the environment and its growing military strength.

Many Americans want control over their personal information and freedom from observation during the activities of their daily lives, but they are not confident that the government agencies or businesses that collect data about them can keep that information private and secure.