Global Attitudes to Online Privacy: How Willing Are Consumers to Share Personal Data?
- Hugh Gage
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
In a world increasingly shaped by digital experiences, personal data has become the currency of convenience. But, not all consumers view privacy through the same lens.
Willingness to share personal information varies considerably across regions; its shaped by culture, age, gender, and the type of data in question.
An IPSOS survey in 2022 found that nearly 80% of internet users are concerned about internet privacy, this is relatively unchanged in the three years since 2019. And yet, consumers acknowledge the data-for-value exchange that is a hallmark of the digital economy. In a 2022 report commissioned by the Global Data & Marketing Alliance (GDMA) 53% of consumers accepted that the exchange of data is essential for the smooth running of society. The same survey found that 82% of consumers are comfortable engaging with the data economy if they see sufficient value in it for themselves. Given the high level of concern about internet privacy reported by IPSOS, that's quite the pluralistic group mindset!
The GDMA's research found that the single most important factor underpinning users' willingness to share data is trust in the organisation with which it is sharing the data. Trust is a by product of transparency and transparency is a fundamental tenet of data ethics.
Unfortunately for Big Tech, according to YouGov only 4 in 10 global consumers trust it with their personal information and 46% say they don't trust it. A further 13% were unsure, but that was back in 2022.
With that said, these attitudes change quite a bit when split out by country and region.
In 2012 the UK DMA (together with Foresight Factory) categorised attitudes on privacy into three groups:
Data Pragmatists: Those who are concerned about online privacy but will make tradeoffs on a case-by-case basis as to whether the service or enhancement of service offered is worth the information requested
Data Unconcerned: Those who are unconcerned about online privacy in general and characterised by lower levels of concern about the sharing of personal data
Data Fundamentalists: Those who are concerned about online privacy and are unwilling to provide personal information even in return for service enhancement
In 2018 the GDMA applied these categories across 10 global markets and in 2022 they refreshed the research and included six new markets, thereby covering more than 50% of the world's population.
Its an interesting observation to note that, with the exception of Singapore, the countries with the greatest percentage of Data Pragmatists, also broadly match those with the lowest GDP per capita in the basket of 16 countries that were included in the GDMA research. This perhaps reflects a growing mindset that users see their data as an asset which is theirs to trade. Or it could be a simpler reflection of a data-value-exchange that acknowledges people living in countries with lower GDP per capita as being more likely to gravitate towards free online services.
A World of Differences: Privacy Across Regions
United States & United Kingdom: Consumers in the US and UK are among the most privacy-conscious. From a YouGov survey in 2022, only 24% of UK adults say they trust tech companies with their data while in the United States, that figure is 23%. These were the two lowest rates of trust out of the 19 countries surveyed. Years of data breaches and scandals have taken their toll: trust in major tech companies is low, and skepticism toward data collection is high. Of all the Big Tech players, social media companies garner the lowest levels of trust with only 3% of Brits saying they trust social media with their data, that figure rises to 10% among Americans... (and yet still we all use it!)
Cultural values in these regions also emphasise individual rights, which amplifies concerns around surveillance and commercial misuse. Indeed, in the UK a full 26% of Britons say that they are unwilling to share any personal data online.
European Union: Europe leads the world in legislated data protection thanks to GDPR, but consumers remain wary. In the EU, awareness of data protection has more than doubled since 2018, but even in Europe levels of awareness vary with the highest being in the UK and the lowest being in the likes of France, Spain and Belgium.
India & Southeast Asia: In contrast, consumers in India and Southeast Asia tend to be more open to sharing personal data. In India, over 90% of people report being willing to share information with brands—among the highest in the world. A similar trend is seen in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where trust in tech platforms is relatively high. Convenience, access to services, and tangible rewards often outweigh privacy concerns in these regions. And yet, according to data from YouGov, concern about privacy among consumers in APAC is high. This again spotlighting the pluralistic dichotomy between the data value exchange and the concerns around privacy
China: Chinese consumers have historically embraced data-driven convenience, particularly through mobile apps and super-app ecosystems. While privacy wasn’t a high-profile issue a decade ago, awareness is rising—fuelled by new national data protection laws and media coverage of data breaches. Today, many Chinese consumers express growing concern, but also retain a high level of trust in domestic tech platforms.
Africa: African consumers—particularly in digital growth markets like Kenya and South Africa—report high levels of privacy concern. More than 9 in 10 internet users in some regions say they worry about how their data is handled. Yet trust in the internet itself remains strong. People are willing to engage digitally but want stronger rules to protect their data. Regulatory frameworks are still developing, and many users see government action as key to building trust.
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The majority see data sharing as disproportionately beneficial to companies rather than users. While many are happy to share non-sensitive information (like email addresses), there’s a cultural expectation that privacy should be the default—not something you have to fight for.
It’s Not Just Where—It’s Who
Younger vs. Older Consumers: Globally, younger people (under 35) are more likely to accept data trade-offs in exchange for better services. Many are comfortable sharing basic data, but that doesn’t mean they’re unaware of privacy issues—they just weigh them differently. Older consumers, especially those 50+, are more skeptical. In the UK, for instance, nearly half of seniors say they refuse to share any personal information online.
Men vs. Women: Men are generally more open to sharing personal data, especially when financial rewards are involved. Women, on the other hand, tend to be more cautious—often driven by higher perceived risks around data misuse, safety, or harassment. Studies show women are more likely to demand clear value or higher compensation before parting with personal details.
What Kind of Data Do People Actually Share?
Across regions, the type of data makes a big difference but are generally intuitive:
More Comfortable Sharing: Email address, age, gender, and zip/postal codes.
Less Comfortable Sharing: Phone number, location data, browsing history, financial or health information.
Least Comfortable Sharing: Audio recordings or anything perceived as intrusive (e.g. conversation monitoring).
Consumers are more likely to share data when:
They understand how it will be used
They receive tangible benefits in return
The data is anonymised
They trust the organisation collecting it
Final Thoughts
There is a stark contrast in attitudes which is embodied in the growing concern over privacy vs the data value exchange that users engage in to obtain (digital) goods and services ostensibly for free but in reality they are paying with their data.
In recent years, global attitudes toward online privacy have trended toward greater awareness and demand for control, even as people continue to share personal data at unprecedented rates.
The key threads across regions are clear: virtually everyone, from the Americas to Europe to Asia to Africa, is concerned about how their data is used and who has access to it. Yet, the willingness to share information – the pragmatism versus caution – varies.
Cultures with strong privacy norms and recent scandals (like the US, UK, EU) exhibit low trust in tech companies and more reluctance to share data without assurances. In contrast, regions experiencing rapid digital growth (India, Southeast Asia, parts of Africa) often show a higher tolerance for data sharing, as people prioritise the benefits of connectivity, although they too are growing more uneasy about privacy risks.
Major tech companies face a trust challenge everywhere; even in higher-trust countries, large proportions of users remain uneasy about corporate data harvesting and want those companies to be more transparent and accountable.
For brands and platforms, the takeaway is simple: know your audience. Respect for privacy isn’t just good ethics—it’s good business.
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