How educated are Americans on the various cybersecurity topics?
The conclusion is, not enough. According to the results of a new Pew Research Center survey, 55% of Americans couldn’t identify what 2FA is. What is worse, just 30% of surveyed individuals knew what HTTPS is, correctly identifying that an HTTPS site is encrypted.
About one-quarter of Americans, or 24%, are aware that private browsing only hides browser history from other users of that computer, while 49% say they are unsure what private browsing does, the researchers wrote.
More about the Survey: 4,272 US Adults Took Part
Apparently, the survey consists of 10 questions on various digital topics, including cybersecurity and the business policy of social media. It is noteworthy that only 20$ of the participants answered seven or more questions correctly. The staggering 2% answered correctly to all 10 questions.
According to the survey, “americans’ knowledge of digital topics varies substantially by educational attainment as well as by age”, with adults with degrees scoring higher as well as individuals under 50 years of age:
Image Source: PewInternet
A total of 4,272 adults living in the United States took part in the survey, which was conducted in June, 2019.
Other statistics reveal that 59% of survey participants are aware that advertising is the largest source of revenue for social media platforms. 48% knew that a privacy policy is a form of a contract between websites and users, and 45% knew the purpose of net neutrality.
Milena Dimitrova
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum since the project started. A professional with 10+ years of experience in creating engaging content. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles! Follow Milena @Milenyim
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