NEW YORK – June 25, 2013: Consumers worldwide overwhelmingly will share personal information to get better service from their doctors, bank and retailers; however, they are very discerning about how they share. Today’s digital consumers are complicated and sometimes skeptical about how institutions use their data, according to a global independent survey of consumers around the world commissioned by Infosys.
Americans, Europeans and Australians feel comfortable sharing data with doctors (90 percent), banks (76 percent) and retailers (70 percent); however, the research shows contrasting nuances. Consumers won’t readily share personal medical history with doctors. They say they want targeted ads yet are wary of sharing the information to enable this. The study shows consumers understand the benefits of sharing data but remain cautious of data mining (especially in Europe): 39 percent globally describe data mining as invasive while also saying it is helpful (35 percent), convenient (32 percent) and time saving (33 percent). Consumers in the United States are less concerned about the invasive issue (30 percent) than in the other countries surveyed, while German consumers are less willing to share personal data than in other countries.
The global research polled 5,000 digitally savvy consumers in five countries about how they trade personal data in the retail, banking, and healthcare sectors. The study shows the key challenge facing business is to navigate the complex behaviors consumers display when sharing their personal data.
Healthcare
- An overwhelming 88 percent of consumers favor physicians being armed with electronic health information about patients;
- I’m not telling you that: Only 56 percent will share personal medical history, 52 percent family medical history; and
- While more than 76 percent are interested in mobile apps for tracking their health, consumers are less comfortable using their mobiles to share data with doctors and prefer to share personal data with their doctor’s office in person (98 percent), followed by online (77 percent) and mobile (66 percent).
Visit www.infosys.com/digital-consumer-study for complete survey results.
