Kiwis and Aussies among most concerned globally about data privacy

When it comes to being clued in to whether and how organisations share their customers' personal data, Australians and New Zealanders are among the most aware in the world, according to new research from Genesys.

The survey, which quizzed 5,000 adults around the world on their attitudes towards their personal data being collected and used by corporations, found that Kiwis and Aussies are more protective over their location data than other surveyed regions.

Where 20% of respondents in the United States and Japan allow location data to be shared with every app which solicits it, only 11% and 12% of Australians and New Zealanders respectively were willing to do the same.

New Zealanders were also the most concerned about the use of games and quizzes on social media sites which ask for access to personal data, at 57% - compared with Japan, the least concerned at 30%.

While results from Australia and New Zealand are commonly grouped together in studies like this, Genesys' survey instead found notable standout attitudes between the two.

New Zealanders were differentiated from other nationalities in the study in their attitude towards organisations sharing their data with partners without their permission, being the least impressed with this practice at 23%.

On the other hand, to a greater extent than Australians, Kiwis reportedly valued savings over privacy with 43% signing up for discounts and freebies, knowing companies are probably sharing their personal data with partners.

Meanwhile, Australians placed the highest value on privacy, with 44% of respondents from that country acknowledging they expect services to take longer and be costlier due to their value of privacy.

In the event of data being misused or used without consent, 46% of Australians believe monetary compensation would prove a company truly understands the annoyance and risk they caused whereas, 46% of New Zealanders believe a public apology would demonstrate a company's understanding.

In a show of statistical solidarity between the two neighbours, 41% of Australians and 40% of New Zealanders were willing to share their personal data with organisations, but with the caveat that they expect something in return – being paid, for example.

Another area in which the two countries had converged opinions was overall concern that companies are abusing their personal data – 91% of respondents from both nations reported this concern, with approximately half becoming more anxious over the past five years.

In response, more than half of ANZ respondents admit to taking active steps to prevent companies from tracking their online behaviour such as disabling cookies, and 65% in both countries make an effort to read privacy statements 'sometimes' or 'all the time'.

Despite these concerns, just over half of Australian and New Zealand respondents agree they would continue doing business with an organisation who had accidentally leaked their data.