The world’s online privacy and cybersecurity awareness is declining, according to new research from NordVPN, which says that – based on 25 analysed markets with the highest numbers of responses – people globally performed best in recognising various online risks and how to avoid them (73%), and worst in questions related to practices and tools to stay safe online (52%).
The annual National Privacy Test (NPT) is a global survey aimed at evaluating people’s cybersecurity, online privacy awareness and educating the general public about cyberthreats and the importance of data and information security in the digital age. It gathered 26 174 responses from 175 countries this year.
“By engaging in the National Privacy Test, we aim to cultivate a community of privacy-conscious individuals who actively champion data protection. This initiative aligns with our vision to build a safer, more resilient digital landscape for now and future generations,” says Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer (CTO) at NordVPN.
According to the new research, the countries with the best Internet privacy and cybersecurity awareness are: Poland and Singapore (64/100); Germany and the US (63/100); and the UK, Austria, and Portugal (62/100).
However, results show that the world’s online privacy and cybersecurity awareness is declining every year.
“With the growing complexity of online threats it is not that surprising that the world’s online privacy and cybersecurity awareness has been on the decline,” says Briedis. “Paradoxically, the more security solutions there are out there, the worse the results get every year. Raising awareness about the potential risks and educating users about best practices should be at the forefront of our efforts.”
The research shows that people globally are good at creating strong passwords (95%) and dealing with suspicious streaming service offers (94%). They also know what kind of sensitive data they should avoid sharing on social media (90%), or the risks associated with saving their credit card details on their browser (88%).
However, only 3% of people are knowledgeable about online tools that protect digital privacy – and only 11% know what data ISPs collect as part of the metadata. It seems that the “Joan is Awful” episode from Netflix’s show Black Mirror didn’t have the intended effect – only a third of people in the world know the importance of reading terms of service for apps and online services. However, this metric is improving faster than others (in 2021, only 21% answered correctly).
Globally, 1% of people are Cyber Wanderers (barely know anything about Internet privacy and cybersecurity), while 15% scored 75 to 100 points and were identified as knowledgeable Cyber Stars. It is worth noting that people ages 30 to 54 have the best cybersecurity skills with most Cyber Stars in this age group. Younger respondents, students, and those over 54 didn’t do that well.
“I think there are a few reasons why cybersecurity knowledge is declining globally,” says Briedis. “The first and the most important one might be the sheer volume of online activities and digital interactions that people engage in daily. Our previous research showed that people globally spend more than 27 years of their lifetime online. Secondly, as technology continues to advance, cybercriminals also adapt their tactics, making it challenging for the average user to keep up.
“Also, there is a common misconception that cybersecurity is solely the responsibility of service providers,” Briedis adds.
Compared to 2021, people are becoming more aware of the security benefits of updating apps as soon as an update is available. Back then, 62% answered correctly while in 2023 it increased to 69%.
Additionally, people are improving at recognising phishing attacks and the actions they should take while facing them. In 2021, more than half (55%) answered this question correctly while in 2023 this percentage increased to 62%
Best and Worst
In 2023, Poland and Singapore collected the highest number of correct answers while Japan and South Korea took the last spots. Singaporean participants have the most Cyber Stars compared to other countries, while Poland’s leading digital risk score reveals Poles know a lot about cyberthreats and how to handle online safety risks.
Looking at privacy awareness, Japanese respondents scored the lowest among all 25 countries, tying with Italy. This finding shows a substantial knowledge gap and suggests people in Japan may need to educate themselves about online privacy risks. Additionally, half of the South Korean participants are Cyber Tourists. This group lacks cybersecurity knowledge and skills and may need to improve their online privacy habits.
As for some European countries, France has the third-weakest privacy awareness score and one of the weakest daily digital life scores. Its total NPT score is 59% compared to 61% for the rest of the world. Also, German participants have the second-highest NPT score (63%) and share second place on the podium with the US. It’s worth adding that Germans are also highly aware of various digital privacy issues, achieving the second-best privacy awareness score with Finland.
On the contrary, Spanish respondents didn’t do that well, resulting in some of the weakest privacy awareness and digital risk scores. Spanish respondents (like Italians) need to learn more about the privacy and security issues in connected devices. Its neighbor Portugal did better – it ended up third in the world.