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Find out how safe the British public are online
Our survey looks at the British public’s online security behaviours, their attitudes to staying safe online and their knowledge of common scams. So who is most likely to share their digital banking password?
Brits are more concerned with online fraud than burglary
While people are worried about online fraud, many could be doing more to prevent it.
Half (50%) of British adults online say they are concerned they’ll be a victim of online fraud in the next 12 months. In comparison, only 33% were worried about their home being burgled.
Over half of British adults (51%) destroy receipts from their online accounts. Retirees are the most mindful of this, with 68% destroying receipts compared to just 26% of full-time students.
56% of British adults online say there should be additional layers of security on social platforms as standard. Only 8% of people think there is no need to add any additional layers of security.
The research suggests people might be more trusting of their laptop than their smartphone. Four out of five British adults (80%) feel secure entering their bank details on a website from a laptop or computer, but only 52% feel comfortable doing this on a tablet or smartphone app.
What the professionals say
We spoke to Tony Neate, the CEO of Get Safe Online, to get his thoughts on the findings:
“With a greater dependence on the internet and more of our lives taking place online, it’s unsurprising that there are considerable concerns about online fraud. Fraudsters are constantly thinking of new ways to trick us, whether through online shopping, online banking or ID theft. It’s important we stay clued up and keep learning more about fraud and the simple measures we can use to protect ourselves.”
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from a Royal Bank of Scotland study run by YouGov plc. The total sample size was 2037 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken from 15th - 16th June 2017. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).