The Cost of

PRIVACY
Reporting on the State of Digital Identity in 2020

Key Takeaways

1

Consumers underestimate the extent to which theirdata is being tracked

2

Consumers say privacy outweighs all, including tracking
the spread of COVID-19

3

A significant number of respondents believe companies are not collecting data
about their online and offline activities. 42% of Americans do not think online
retailers collect data about their purchase history, and 49% do not think their social
media posts are being tracked by social media companies. But COVID-19 may beclosing the education gap: 65% of Americans are aware of efforts to track the
spread of COVID-19 through smartphone data collection, and 1 in 4 say the
pandemic has made them more aware of data tracking efforts.

While technology companies have launched promising initiatives to track the
spread of COVID-19, many consumers aren’t buying it. 84% of Americans areworried that data collection for COVID-19 containment will sacrifice too much of
their privacy, and 74% of Australians say the same. While just over half of Americans(53%) are uncomfortable with data collection for contact tracing, discomfort levels
increase when it comes to using data to track social distancing compliance (71%)
and to determine when communities should reopen (62%).

Distrust in government is highWhile social media companies are the least trusted overall, global respondents
make it clear that governments are still in hot water. 70% of Americans areuncomfortable with the government tracking their data, and less than a quarter(24%) of US respondents are willing to share their data to help law enforcement.
When it comes to the global pandemic, 45% of Americans say government
involvement makes them less comfortable with the idea of data tracking for
COVID-19 containment, while only 27% of UK respondents say the same.

01

4

Consumers are sitting on gold mines of data, butmany won't cash in

5

Identity verification is taking a toll on democracy, but
mail-in ballots could help

We asked global consumers if they’d be more willing to share data withcompanies if they were financially compensated, and 37% say no. Another 27%
are unsure if payment is worth it to sacrifice their data. When it comes to specifictypes of data, 76% of all respondents are unwilling to sell some portion of theirdata. Ultimately, consumers value data privacy more than some extra cash.

14% of Americans who are not registered to vote report avoiding registering
because of complications with the registration process — a number that adds up
to millions of votes that could affect election outcomes. We also asked about the
impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 US election, and 67% support the use of a
mail-in ballot system to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

02

Introduction
Companies are collecting all kinds of data about our online activities, whether we are browsing
the Internet, watching online content, or posting on social media. Together, this record of ourdata makes up our digital identity. However, there is no official list of what data is collected,
leaving consumers confused about where they are being tracked and what data is associatedwith them. Across the board, people are distrustful and uncomfortable about how their data is
being used by companies and governments, even when it comes to noble causes like tracking
the spread of COVID-19. Two things are certain: people don’t want to be tracked, and they placea high value on privacy.
The unintended ramification is a cost for getting the digital privacy people so badly desire. Data
tracking benefits companies in many ways, especially those that directly profit from selling
consumer data. As a result, consumers often have to sacrifice their privacy to access services
they want or need, leading to decreasing levels of trust. There is also an unintended tax on
citizens’ time as they struggle to prove their identity repeatedly each year. Perhaps mostconcerning, there is a real impact on voter turnout, at levels which undoubtedly affect elections.
These “4 Ts” (tracking, trust, time, and turnout) reveal the tradeoffs that consumers face as theyuse online services and seek some level of digital privacy.
To better understand how people perceive both their digital identity and how it is managed, Okta
commissioned Juniper Research to conduct an online survey of over 12,000 people between theages of 18 and 75 in six countries: Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. When COVID-19 changed our world, Juniper went back andasked nearly 6,000 of those original respondents how the pandemic has affected the way they
think about privacy. The respondents were selected on a nationally representative basis of age,gender, and location. This report will summarize the findings of that survey.

03

A Digital Identity Crisis: Consumers Have a Fuzzy Vision of
Their Online Presence
Privacy has become a hot-button issue over the last few years as consumers worry about whocollects, stores, and uses their personal information. But exactly what personal data is being
collected? Most consumers vastly underestimate the breadth of data used by companies to
identify individuals online.
Consumers have significant blindspots whenlooking at their digital identities
When looking at a list of 13 different types ofcommonly tracked online data — such as usernames,browsing history, and social media posts — theaverage survey respondent believes only 6 of thesetypes of data constitute their online identity. This isfairly consistent across all countries surveyed,besides France. There, respondents believe an
average of 5 types of data make up their digital
identities, demonstrating the lowest understanding.

On average, American
consumers believe 6
types of data make up
their online identity

What do global consumers consider to be part of their online identity?
Usernames and passwords
Emails and messages sent
Data entered into an online form(eg social security number, billing address, etc.)

Online profiles createdWebsites visited
Location when accessing the InternetThings bought online
Things searched for online
Social media posts
Devices used to access the internet
Work done online
Videos watched online
Music and playlists listened to online

04

News flash: women and boomers are more identity-conscious
Women are consistently more aware of the types of data that are contributing to their online
identities than men.
For example, American women are 15 percentage points more likely to think their social media
posts are a part of their online identity. 59% of them believe data entered into a form, such as a
Social Security number, birthdate, or billing address, is associated with their identity, comparedto 46% of men. And when it comes to location data when accessing the Internet, 53% ofAmerican women think it counts toward their digital identity compared to only 43% of men.
The same can be said of older generations. American respondents between the ages of 18-24
say an average of 5 types of data contribute to their online identities, in contrast to those ages
65 and up who average 7 types of data. Other countries surveyed showed similar trends.

Is Ignorance Bliss? Consumers Underestimate the Extent toWhich Their Data is Being Tracked
There is a common expression that says, “if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.”1
The Internet provides a wealth of information and services that consumers now think of as“free,” but they often forget that their “free” email address, Internet search, and social media
account are being funded by advertising dollars, and those advertisers are buying access tothem, the end user.
From Cambridge Analytica to Google’s collection of millions of Americans’ medical data, anever-ending list of controversies have shed a light on consumers’ shrinking levels of privacy.
Yet, our data shows that many consumers are not aware of the routine tracking and data
harvesting that takes place daily.
Dance like no one is watching… or listening
A significant number of respondents believe their online and offline activities are not being
tracked. Nearly 4 out of 5 American respondents (78%) don’t think a consumer hardware
provider such as Apple, Fitbit, or Amazon is tracking their biometric data, and 56% say the same
about their location data. 75% of Americans don’t believe streaming services are collecting
information about their online media consumption, and 80% don’t think their broadband
provider does either.
1 Scott Goodson. “If You're Not Paying For It, You Become The Product.” Forbes (2012):
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marketshare/2012/03/05/if-youre-not-paying-for-it-you-become-the-product/#3c8f06135d6e05Online communications are also presumed to be private by a surprising number of
respondents. 52% of Americans don’t think email providers are tracking their email andmessaging history, and 74% say the same of their employer.

of Americans don’t think online
retailers collect data about
their purchase historyof Americans don’t thinksearch engines collect data
about their browsing history

Despite the bad press, many consumers aren’t aware of social media tracking
As consumers scroll through their feeds, they have a general awareness that social media
companies are tracking something: over 80% of respondents in all markets believe that social
media companies are tracking at least one element of their data.
Respondents from the Netherlands are the most likely to expect a social media company toactively collect data on their social media posts: only 40% do not think this data collection is
occurring. In contrast, 59% of French respondents do not think their posts are being tracked bysocial media companies, and 49% of Americans agree.

What Americans do not believe social media companies are collecting
100%

P E R C E N TAG E O F R E S P O N D E N T S

87%

75%

71%
65%
53%

53%

52%

50%

49%

25%

14%

0%

Offlineconversations

Online media
consumption

Purchasehistory

Who they
follow / engage with

Browsing
history

Location

Social media
posts

Any typeof data06

Tracking a pandemic
People are inundated with COVID-19 news, consuming
constant updates about case counts, reopening plans,
and potential strategies for fighting the pandemic. Yet,
35% of Americans are unaware of efforts to track the
spread of COVID-19 through smartphone datacollection. While this level of awareness is higher thanmost other types of data we asked about, respondents
in other countries are far more informed. Only 4% ofAustralians, 14% of Dutch respondents, and 17% ofGermans are unaware of data tracking efforts tocontain the novel coronavirus.

23%

of Americans are more
opposed to data tracking in
the wake of COVID-19

Still, COVID-19 may be closing the data tracking education gap: 1 in 4 Americans say the
pandemic has made them more aware of data tracking efforts (26%) as well as the possible
benefits of data tracking (25%). In the UK, 32% and 31% of respondents say the same, respectively.

Distrust and Discomfort in the Age of COVID-19
Whether or not consumers understand what is being tracked, they are generally unhappy thatcompanies are tracking their data, regardless of why it’s being collected. Across all countries
surveyed, 91% of consumers are uncomfortable with at least one kind of organization tracking
their data.
Though if there’s ever been a time to justify the sacrifice of digital privacy, COVID-19 is it. While
companies like Apple and Google are making a concerted effort to safeguard consumer privacy
while tracking the spread of the virus, respondents still feel uncertain about the potential
privacy and security ramifications.
Freedom over everything: Americans won’t give up their data to slow the spread of COVID-19
Americans show widespread discomfort with the idea of their data being collected to aid thecontainment of COVID-19. A majority of Americans say they are uncomfortable with personallyidentifiable information (67%), bluetooth data (57%), medical data (53%), and location data (52%)
being collected. Consistently, older respondents (ages 65-75) are more comfortable with theidea of data collection to track the virus than younger respondents.

07

In the UK, respondents are far more willing to sacrifice their data to stop the pandemic. Only 51%
are uncomfortable with their personally identifiable information, 43% with their bluetooth data,
39% with their medical data, and 40% with their location data being collected.

When Americans are uncomfortable with their data being used in relation to COVID-19
Determining if individuals are following
social distancing guidelines
Determining when communities
should reopen
Tracking symptoms and better
understanding the disease
Determining if a vaccine/cureis effective
Tracking who diagnosed individuals
have come into contact with
Determining where the virus
is spreading
All scenarios

Across all countries, discomfort levels rise when asked about data being used in scenarios that
regulate individual behavior, such as enforcing social distancing or determining whencommunities should reopen.
Privacy and security concerns swell during COVID-19
While the public health benefits of collecting data to track the spread of COVID-19 are clear,consumers in every country surveyed are worried about privacy. A whopping 84% of Americans
worry they will be giving up too much of their privacy, and 81% of Germans and 74% ofAustralians agree. Security is another looming concern, with 87% of Americans worrying thatdata collection for COVID-19 will make their data insecure. This is an even bigger concern in the
Netherlands, where 90% express concern.
Trust, or lack thereof, is a big part of the problem. 86% of Americans worry their data will be
used for purposes other than COVID-19. This was the number one concern in Australia (79%),
Germany (87%), and the UK (84%).
08

Why are Americans worried about data collection for COVID-19 containment?

71%

65%

81%

worry it will impact theirfinances (e.g. insurance
premiums, medical bills)

worry law enforcement
will access their data

worry their data will be
used to serve
advertisements to them

We asked what could be done to make consumers feel more comfortable with their data being
tracked for COVID-19 containment, but a consensus couldn’t be reached. 30% of Americans say
nothing can be done to make them feel more comfortable, the highest of any country. 47% say alimit on who can access the data would do the trick. Other solutions include: needing to give
explicit consent (39%), putting a limit on how long the data can be tracked (37%), making suredata isn’t shared with organizations outside of the US (35%).
While it is clear that privacy is a concern, the root of the problem may be uncertainty aroundwhether smartphone-based data collection is an effective way to slow the pandemic. 54% of
Americans said they believe it is not effective, and only 10% believe it is very effective.
Australians are the most optimistic, with 62% believing in the efficacy of smartphone tracking.
Never say never: some consumers see benefits of data collection
28% of global respondents say COVID-19 has made them more open to the possible benefits ofdata tracking. But even before the pandemic hit, over half of all respondents were amenable tosome form of data collection in exchange for personal and community benefits.
Across the board, Americans in the 18-24 age group are the most likely to be comfortable withdata collection in order to receive some type of benefit in return, whether that be an improved
user experience (37%) or relevant content (36%).
Consumers draw the line when it comes to helping law enforcement. The vast majority of
respondents don’t think the benefit is worth the cost, despite conversations about how facialrecognition technology and genetic data can aid police investigations. Consumers in the
Netherlands are the most willing to share their data to help law enforcement, at 31%. Less than aquarter (24%) of Americans are willing, and only 22% of Germans say the same.

09

Reasons why Americans are comfortable with companies collecting their data

To improve user experience

To suggest content that may beof interest

To serve advertisements

To assist law enforcement withongoing investigations

Never comfortable withcompanies collecting their data

Not All Data Is Created Equal
Respondents across every country make it clear that protecting their privacy is a priority, but ofcourse, they consider some types of data more valuable than others.
In the US, respondents are the least concerned about organizations tracking their purchasehistory and online media consumption, with 59% expressing concern. Biometric data, dating
app activity, and email and message history are all top concerns.
Location, location, location: consumers dislike location tracking
Location data is the most common type of data that global consumers think companies aretracking, yet at least 57% are uncomfortable with their location being tracked. Consumers see
buzzy articles about how to correctly set the privacy settings on smartphones, but those cangive a false sense of security: Google was exposed for storing location data on smartphones
even if the consumer had used a privacy setting that said it will prevent Google from doing so. 2
In the US, 65% of Americans are uncomfortable with their location data being collected. Acrossall countries surveyed, an interesting trend emerges: women are between 6-10 percentage
points more uncomfortable with the issue than their male counterparts.
2 Ryan Nakashima, “Google Tracks your Movements, Like it or Not,” Associated Press (2018):
https://apnews.com/828aefab64d4411bac257a07c1af0ecb/AP-Exclusive:-Google-tracks-your-movements,-like-it-or-not

10

Discomfort with location data collection
100%

91%

P E R C E N TAG E O F R E S P O N D E N T S

85%
77%
75%

69%
60%

67%
61%

71%

70%

64%

62%
52%

50%

25%

0%

60%
US

61%
UK

Australia

Germany

Netherlands

FranceProtecting “real life” data
Almost half of all respondents believe their offline conversations and biometric data are being
tracked by at least one kind of company online, although there is little consensus as to whichkinds of companies are engaging in the data collection. Respondents in the Netherlands show
the highest rate of discomfort, with 90% saying they are uncomfortable with offline
conversation tracking, and 88% are uncomfortable with biometric data collection.

Offline Conversations

Biometric Data

55% of Americans believe their offline
conversations are tracked by at least one
type of company. Of this group, 83% areuncomfortable with it

40% of Americans believe their biometricdata is tracked by at least one type ofcompany. Of this group, 74% areuncomfortable with it

Older and wiser, or just not interested in the fine print?
Data collection sentiments are directly linked to the age of the respondents. 41% of Americans
are never comfortable with any form of data collection for any reason, but when broken out byage, the difference is striking. Of respondents ages 18-24, 28% are never comfortable with data11

collection, compared to 56% of respondents ages 65 and up. This disparity between
generations is consistent across all countries surveyed.
One explanation is that younger respondents are more likely to take the time to educate
themselves about the uses of their data. In the US, only 31% of respondents always read andunderstand the terms and conditions of a digital services website. However, when broken down
by age, we find that younger respondents are much more likely to read terms and conditions
than older respondents.

Americans’ comfort with data collection, compared toAmericans who always read and understand terms and conditions

Crossing the line: consumers do not want companies profiting off their data
Compared to data collection, an even bigger concern for a majority of consumers is thatcompanies are profiting from their data. 93% of all respondents are uncomfortable withcompanies selling some portion of their data, and 67% are uncomfortable with any form of theirdata being sold.
Nine out of 10 Americans (90%) are uncomfortable with companies profiting from at least one
type of their data. The sale of biometric data, passwords, and offline conversations cause themost concern at around 80% each. Browsing data and purchase history are of the lowest
concern, but 73% and 74% of Americans respectively still report being uncomfortable withcompanies selling this data.

12

A Trust Problem: Does it Matter Who is Tracking?
The answer is yes: it matters who is tracking your data. Although 46% of all respondents areuncomfortable with data tracking in any form, consumers in all countries surveyed have varying
comfort levels depending on what type of organization is collecting the data.
Distrust in government: big brother is watching
The idea that the government tracks consumer data is a big concern for all respondents,
especially in the US (70%), Netherlands (73%), and Germany (74%).
In the US, trust in the government’s ability to safely handle personal data is particularly low, with
71% saying they have limited to no trust in the government’s ability to do so. When you break
down the respondents by age, a clear divide emerges. 56% of Americans ages 18-24 very muchtrust the government’s ability to safely handle their personal data, while only 25% of Americans
ages 55-64 feel the same way.
In the US, UK, Australia, and Germany respondents report significantly higher trust in theirworkplace to handle their personal data than the government.

Consumers with limited to no trust in their government or employers tohandle their personal data
100%

Limited to no trust in the government to safely handle personal data
P E R C E N TAG E O F R E S P O N D E N T S

Limited to no trust in employers to safely handle personal data
75%

71%

70%
59%

64%

60%

64%

66%

62%
56%

55% 56%

Germany

Netherlands

65%

50%

25%

0%

US

UK

Australia

France13

Survey respondents also believe the government is the most likely group to collect theirbiometric data and offline conversations. Social media companies and search engines take afairly distant second and third, respectively.

23%

of Americans think the government
collects data about their offline
conversations, more than another
other country by far

29%

of Americans think the government
collects biometric data about them,surpassed only by Germany at 31%

Trust and leadership during COVID-19
Outside of the US, survey respondents are largely happy with how their government is
responding to COVID-19. In Australia, 87% think their government’s response has beeneffective. 84% in the Netherlands, 80% in Germany, and 65% in the UK say the same.
Meanwhile, only 49% of American and 53% of French respondents think the government has
effectively responded to the pandemic.
A pattern of distrust in the US government continues when you consider government
involvement in data collection efforts. 45% of Americans say government involvement makes
them less comfortable with the idea of data tracking for COVID-19 containment. Respondents inother countries fall between 26% and 34% when asked the same question.

26%of Americans would feel lesscomfortable with the idea of datacollection for COVID-19 if healthcarecompanies were involved

42%of Americans would feel lesscomfortable with the idea of datacollection for COVID-19 if law
enforcement was involved

14However, trust in the technology industry is even lower, with social media companies being theworst off. 61% of Americans say they would feel less comfortable with data tracking for
COVID-19 if social media companies were involved; many say the same of technology startups(55%) and large and established technology companies (48%).
Distrust of social media providers: who watches our Facebook posts more closely, our friends...
or Facebook?
Consumer distrust of data collection by social media companies and advertisers is particularly
high, which is problematic considering they’re involved in the majority of third party data
sharing online. High-profile accusations against social media companies and advertisers likely
contribute to this level of distrust.
Across countries surveyed, respondents who think social media companies track more aspectsof their data are more uncomfortable with social media companies collecting their data. On the
low end, American respondents think social media companies track an average of 5 types ofdata, and 71% are uncomfortable with it. In the Netherlands, respondents think social media
companies track an average of 6 types of data, and 86% are uncomfortable with it.
When it comes to data collection, mistrust of social media closely parallels mistrust ofadvertisers and search engines.

Consumers’ discomfort with social media companies, search engines, andadvertisers collecting their data
Social media companies
Search engines
Advertisers

P E R C E N TAG E O F R E S P O N D E N T S

100%

75%

71%

68%

70%

74%

71%

74%

78%

79%
73%

82%

77%

82%

86% 85% 88%
72%

74%
67%

50%

25%

0%

US

UK

Australia

Germany

Netherlands

France15

A New Economic Model? Some Say Data Could be the New
Property Right, But Not So Fast
Tech companies typically own the data that is generated by users on their platforms. But inorder to give consumers more control over the collection and sale of their data, some politicians
have proposed policies that would require organizations to pay consumers for access to theirdata. Former US presidential candidate Andrew Yang proposed this type of system during his
campaign, suggesting that consumers should “receive a share of the economic value
generated from [their] data”.3 At first blush, this sounds appealing, but our data shows that
consumers aren’t buying it.

30%

of all respondents areunwilling to sell any type ofdata for any price15%

of respondents ages 18-24 areunwilling to sell any type of
data

48%

of all respondents ages 65+
are unwilling to sell any
type of data

“Data for dollars:” compensation isn’t enoughWe asked global consumers if they’d be more willing to share data with companies if they were
financially compensated, and 37% say no. Another 27% are unsure if payment is worth it tosacrifice their data. When it comes to specific types of data, 76% of all respondents areunwilling to sell at least one type of their data at any price. Ultimately, consumers value data
privacy more than some extra cash.
Breaking out the results by country, Dutch and German consumers are the least likely to be
incentivized to share their data for compensation, with 45% of Dutch consumers and 42% ofGerman consumers unwilling to sell. American and French respondents are the most open to
the idea, but still show hesitancies. Nearly 1 in 3 respondents from the US and France (32%) do
not find the idea appealing, and another 26% and 27% respectively say they are unsure.
The biggest divergence in opinion can be seen by age. Younger generations are far more
willing to share their data at a price.

3 Regulating Tech Firms in the 21st Century, Yang 2020 (2019):
https://www.yang2020.com/blog/regulating-technology-firms-in-the-21st-century/16Consumers unwilling to share data with companies for financial compensation
100%

All global respondents

P E R C E N TAG E O F R E S P O N D E N T S

18-24 years old
65+ years old
75%

57%
50%

46%

25%

24%

28%

46%

45%

42%

39%

38%
32%

58%

55%

54%

32%

31%
25%

26%

25%

Germany

Netherlands

France0%USUK

Australia

Of course, everything has a price. We asked consumers if they’d rather sell their data or give itaway for free, and more than 90% in all countries surveyed say they would take the cash. But data
doesn’t come cheap. For example, 31% of Americans want $100 or more for a company to accesstheir browsing history or social media data. 25% want that same price for their location data.
These price tags don’t bode well for companies trying to make a policy like this work.
Facebook, for example, has 2.5 billion users. Paying each of those users $100 in exchange for
their location data — not to mention their purchase history, browsing history, etc. — comes out
to a whopping $250 billion. This economic model would be even less effective for small
businesses who need user data to improve their product but don’t have the resources to pay
for it.

17

Data Americans are willing to sell and at what priceIdentity Verification is Taking a Toll on Democracy
As governments try to reduce cost and improve accessibility, they are increasingly making
services available online. Of course, verifying the identity of a visitor is a critical issue whenproviding access to government records and services. But there is a tradeoff between security
and usability: if the barrier to entry becomes too high, citizens will abandon the process, andpossibly give up on the service entirely.
Streamlined online access can free up hours of time
We asked respondents in each country surveyed how long they spend logging in or otherwise
proving their identity with a variety of government departments, and on average, they’re
spending 12 hours per year. When looking at individual countries, the number ranges from 7 in
the Netherlands, to 13 in the US.

18

Amount of time consumers spend proving their identity to government departments
Average time per person per year (hours)

Average time per interaction (minutes)
16

16

14

13
12

12

10

HOURS

10

9
8

8

7

10

6

4

4

2

2

0

0

UK

Australia

Germany Netherlands

France

11

10
9

10
9

8

6

US

13

12

MINUTES

14

US

UK

Australia

Germany Netherlands France

The relatively low amount of time each French person spends interacting with different
government departments can likely be attributed to the unified Service-Public.fr identity portal.
This allows a wide range of functions to be carried out through a single interface. The average
French person spends 10 hours per year proving their identity, a 26% improvement over the US.
Implementation of unified identity solutions can save a large amount of time for bothgovernments and the public they serve; if the US achieved the same level of efficiency asFrance, for example, its population would save nearly 19 million days.
A small barrier so critical, it could affect a national election
While online logins can be taxing on productivity, they are easier to navigate than therequirements of many state voter registration systems.
Each election cycle, we hear stories about the difficulties some determined citizens overcome inorder to cast their vote. For some citizens, simply registering to vote can be complex andintimidating, and not every citizen battles through to the end. The complications related toproving one’s identity take their toll on democracy, particularly in the US. Of those Americans
not registered to vote, 14% report avoiding doing so because of complications with theregistration process. Of those, 39% think it is too time consuming, and 33% feel the process isoverwhelming.

19

What are the implications of 14% of the unregistered population choosing not to register tovote? In 2018, the US had a population of 327 million people.4 With 153 million people
registered to vote that year,5 that would leave 101 million people unregistered (excluding minors
ineligible to vote).6 If 14% of those unregistered Americans didn’t encounter complications, itwould translate to more than 14 million more people voting — a sizable number that could
affect the outcome of a national election.
The key to increasing voter participation is to challenge the notion that registering to vote isonerous. Moving to a digital registration system, which many states still do not offer, could
speed up the registration process and make it available from anywhere. This would be a big
step toward making democracy accessible to everyone.
2020 elections and the impact of COVID-19
As the fight against COVID-19 continues, many are wondering how the 2020 election will be
impacted. Will crowded polling stations undo the progress we’ve made to slow the spread of
COVID-19? How will we ensure every American still has the ability to cast their vote? Is a mail-in
ballot system a good solution? The right answer is unclear, but one thing is for certain: steps
must be taken to ensure a safe, secure, and inclusive election year.
We asked about the impact of the pandemic on the 2020 US election, and 67% of Americans saythey support the use of a mail-in ballot system to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Support for
mail-in voting is consistent across generations, with 61% ages 65+ and 77% ages 18-24 onboard.
While some policymakers have pointed to increased voter fraud as a reason to avoid a mail-in
ballot system,7 only 6% of Americans against a mail-in ballot system agree. Instead, generalsecurity is the top concern.

4 “Quick Facts United States,” U.S. Census Bureau (2019):
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045218#PST045218
5 “Number of Registered Voters in the United States from 1996-2018,” Statistica (2020):
https://www.statista.com/statistics/273743/number-of-registered-voters-in-the-united-states/
6 “America’s Children: Key Indicators of Well-Being,” ChildStates.Gov (2019):
https://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/demo.asp

20

Why some Americans do not support a mail-in ballot system in 2020
I don’t think a mail-in ballot
system is secure
I don’t think COVID-19 will still be aconcern in November 2020
I think a mail-in ballot system will be
confusing for voters
I think an online voting system
would be better
I think a mail-in ballot system will
hurt my political party
I think mail-in ballots encourage
voter fraud

We asked all US respondents what they thought about the security of different voting systems,
and found a consistent theme: every option has its skeptics. 82% say in-person voting is secure,while 65% say the same of mail-in voting. A slight majority of Americans definitely aren’t readyfor online voting, with 51% saying it is insecure.

7 Kathryn Watson, “Trump ramps up attacks against mail-in voting,” CBS News (2020):
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-vote-by-mail-attacks/

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Conclusion
As our lives migrate to the digital realm, our online identity has evolved to become anincreasingly robust collection of data about every aspect of our online and offline lives. Thisdata is extremely appealing to companies and governments who wish to use it for a variety of
purposes.
Our survey suggests that consumers around the world have only a vague understanding of how
much of their data is being tracked, where, when, and by which organizations. But despite thislack of awareness, they’re largely uncomfortable with the idea of companies collecting andselling their data, even when it comes to benevolent causes like tracking the spread of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Okta believes it is important to balance privacy and innovation. Consumers deserve to havecontrol over their data, but at the same time, data is often essential to building new technologies
and serving the common good. To strike a balance, organizations around the globe mustembrace transparency and help their customers understand how their data is being used.

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Methodology
The survey was commissioned by Okta, and carried out by Juniper Research. It was distributedand completed through an online platform.
The survey was carried out using an online panel in two waves, between the dates of 20th and31st January 2020 and 27th April to 6th May. The survey was a nationally representative sampleof the online population aged between 18 and 75 of each of the following countries, in the local
language:• Australia (2,002 respondents in wave 1, 947 in wave 2)• France (2,000 respondents in wave 1, 973 in wave 2)• Germany (2,000 respondents in wave 1, 936 in wave 2)• The Netherlands (2,006 respondents in wave 1, 1,004 in wave 2)• The United Kingdom (2,218 respondents in wave 1, 979 in wave 2)• The United States (2,013 respondents in wave 1, 923 in wave 2)
Confidence intervals at the 95% confidence level for all countries are ±2.2% for wave 1, and±3.2% In wave 2. All data was weighted in line with nationally representative proportions.

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