Foreword CONSEQUENCES OF TRUST

Consequences of Trust

Secondery Use. A high number of respondents rejected the unauthorized usage of personal data, and many believe that ID authorities will indeed use the personal information without permission. However the respondents were divided as to whether authorities will use personal data for a purpose different from the original, with an overall mean at the midpoint. The differences between the five regions were smaller for this specific question, only the United Kingdom and Ireland had a stronger negative response mean (5.3) while most others notably Austria, Germany and Scandinavia tend to trust slightly more their governments.

A majority of respondents does not believe that ID authorities will not use their personal information for a purpose different from the original. In the 15-24 age range the amount of answers ‘strongly disagree’ are much lower then in the group of older respondents.  

A vast majority of the respondents do not believe that the ID authorities will manage their data with goodwill. However, the respondents still studying seem to be more positive about ID authorities. The amount of ‘strongly disagree’ answers is still 28 percent in this group. 

Unauthorized Access. Respondents tend to disagree that the ID authorities will devote sufficient time and effort towards the prevention of unauthorized access to personal information. Here again, UK and Ireland rated highest (5.6), and Central and Eastern Europe and Southern Europe were lowest(3.6).

Comfort in Relying on Authorities. The questions about trust received a negative overall evaluation. The mean of responses about the ID authorities’ effort to look after personal data received 5.9 score overall on the seven point scale. Some of the respondents were more positive about sharing their data with the authorities. UK and Ireland showed a high mean in both questions, while the respondents from new EU member states were the most optimistic.

Willingness. Respondents showed some willingness to reveal their personal data, with an overall mean of 4.8. Central and Eastern Europe has the lowest mean, which indicates the most positive attitude towards the system. In this question Austria, Germany and Scandinavia gain the higher mean, followed closely by UK and Ireland. Southern Europe and the group of the Benelux states and France were close to the midpoint.

Interoperability. The responses regarding the interoperability of the provided ID data had an interesting distribution. The overall reception of the cooperation between government and business was very low (6.4), while there was only some reluctance to share data within the government (5.1) or across different European countries (5.3). This pattern can be found in all the five regions.

The age of respondents created highly visible differences in the judgment of ID data sharing across European member states. The level of strong disagreement was only 30 percent in the age group 15-24, while 51 percent measured in the age group 55 years and older. The values of agreement were slightly higher in the group of younger respondents, but still the overall mean showed rejection. 

Reluctance. Despite the fact that respondents generally seem to be dissatisfied with the future ID card system and the ID authorities, the majority of respondents do not take steps to remove personal data from any unauthorized list, neither do they refuse to give personal information in some situations when asked.

Female respondents reported reservation more frequently about giving their personal information in certain situations, such as when applying for a job or for banking and insurance purposes.