The survey was conducted in France between 20 September and 4 October in 2016 among a representative sample of 1,008 French people, 15 years of age and over, plus a sample of 502 self-employed people, including artisans, traders, small business owners and heads of companies with under 10 employees.
The results reveal that digital activity occupies over a quarter of the day and risk-awareness is not putting a stop to practices that expose users to risk.
Some 73% of those polled believe that risk levels on the Internet are higher than they were 10 years ago. However, 52% admit to having revealed personal data (contact details or bank account information) online, even though the majority believe that this is a risky thing to do.
In fact, 61% of respondents think it is risky to type in their personal data and 50% that they are taking a risk when they enter their bank details in order to make a payment. This paradoxical attitude is also to be found among ‘digital natives’, more of whom – despite being particularly familiar with the codes and practices of the digital era –do not bother to read the conditions of use (79% versus 68%), do not delete their browsing history (69% versus 59%), browse without checking that the site format is HTTPS (67% versus 47%) or use the same password for different accounts (62% versus 48%).
Furthermore, reactions to online attacks are generally limited and short-term. Some 16% of the French people surveyed by BNP Paribas/CSA Research are aware that they have suffered online piracy during the last 12 months, in the form of information or content theft (41%), extortion (37%) or identity theft (26%).
Only 27% of these (33% among small businesspeople) actually contacted the police and just 39% sought a long-term solution by purchasing antivirus software. The most common reaction (reported by 78% of those who had been thus attacked) was to de-activate or entirely cancel the account that had been pirated.
When it comes to whom they trust regarding data protection on the Internet, French people trust banks. A majority of respondents expressed a desire for assistance in securing their bank data (61%) and their transactions (59%).
On the whole, when it comes to protecting their data on the Internet, they place their greatest trust in banks. Fully 77% of the survey respondents mentioned the bank as their most trusted partner to help them protect their banking data and 63% said the same for their personal details in the wider sense. This trust and confidence is reflected in actual behaviour: checking bank accounts online is the most frequent activity on the Internet, carried out by 77% of the respondents.
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