A study undertaken in the US revealed increased concern about sharing personal data, declining interest in buying the latest tech products sooner rather than later, and greater numbers of people confused by technology and its promises overall.

WPP’s media investment group GroupM’s second annual survey on consumer attitudes toward technology in the US was carried out in December 2021.

The proprietary research surveyed 1,000 American consumers on their attitudes toward technology across six general categories: attitudes toward technology, information sharing and privacy, virtual reality-based devices and services, smart appliances, mobile devices and digital services, such as visual search, streaming audio and streaming video.

Survey respondents indicated some material shifts in sentiments around privacy, with greater numbers of people concerned about the use of their data online, fewer willing to share data associated with health trackers or allow smart appliances to automatically refill consumables.

Fewer households now believe it is important that they are equipped with the latest technology and greater numbers profess to being confused by new technologies, which can be seen in responses to questions regarding VR and AR devices or 5G access, with more saying they will wait until technology becomes cheaper before purchasing devices.

Of more direct importance for the advertising industry, a shrinking majority of respondents (73 percent) said that they would accept having to watch commercials in order to maintain a lower monthly bill for streaming video services versus 76 percent in last year’s survey.

These trends reinforce the importance of data privacy to consumers and its implications for marketers — including the need to go above and beyond in securing consent from consumers when collecting or otherwise working with their data — to ensure that consumers experience real benefits from the use of that data and to always be mindful of how third-party data used in campaigns has been aggregated.

 

The results also suggest that marketers could benefit from creating more clarity around how their technology products work and their practical benefits for consumers.

Finally, the increasing willingness of consumers to pay to avoid advertising in streaming video services reflected in this survey strengthens GroupM’s instinct that, over time, advertising will become a diminishing feature in this channel.

Research Highlights: Under general attitudes toward technology category, 51 percent of respondents agree with the statement: “It’s important my household is equipped with the latest technology” versus 54 percent in the survey last year.

32 percent of the population somewhat or completely agreed that new technology “confuses me” in the new survey versus 28 percent last year. 73 percent agreed that they “wait until technology becomes cheaper before considering a purchase” versus 69 percent last year.

In the information sharing and privacy category, 77 percent of respondents strongly or somewhat agree with the statement “I worry about how companies use my personal data online” in GroupM’s most recent survey, up from 72 percent in last year’s survey. 51 percent of respondents believe that only they should have access to health-related data from fitness trackers. The comparable figure was 55 percent in last year’s survey.

As with last year, only a small share of the population believes that the company that made the device or software should have access (5.4 percent this year versus 6.9 percent last year).

In the new services and devices category, 32 percent of respondents claimed to own a VR or AR device in the most recent survey, with 15 percent claiming they are likely to buy such a device in the next 12 months.

Consumer perceptions of what, exactly, such a device is may not be commonly shared, as last year 39 percent claimed to own one, with 22 percent planning to buy one. Looking at 5G devices, 60 percent of respondents said they have a 5G device such as a mobile phone that can connect to a 5G network, up from 49 percent last year.

As part of advertising trade-offs on streaming services, when respondents were asked “If it meant a lower monthly bill for your streaming services, how likely would you accept having to watch commercials?” 73 percent agreed with this statement versus 76 percent last year.

Access to ad-free or ad-lite subscription services remains high, consistent with data observed through public filings made by the operators of streaming services.