A new survey suggests consumers are most sensitive about sharing their political affinities with marketers, with religious affiliation also highly protected.
Stamford-based Pitney Bowes Inc. queried consumers in the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom about what types of personal information they are unwilling to share with businesses and government agencies.
About three-quarters of those polled said they guard their political leanings, and 71 percent cited their religious views. Just over half of consumers were unwilling to share information about their ethnicity, and 45 percent were unwilling to disclose their sexual orientation.
Other information consumers were leery of sharing to varying degrees included:
Ӣ credit card number, 40 percent,
Ӣ mobile phone, 38 percent,
Ӣ income, 36 percent,
Ӣ weight, 24 percent,
Ӣ home phone, 23 percent,
Ӣ height, 22 percent,
Ӣ bank details, 22 percent,
Ӣ email, 14 percent,
Ӣ postal address, 13 percent, and
Ӣ date of birth, 10 percent.
“Brands would do well to be aware of these consumer perceptions as they collect data,” said Dan Kohn, vice president of corporate marketing for Pitney Bowes, in a written statement. “By honoring consumer sensitivities ”¦ brand interactions should hit home and multi-channel marketing metrics may improve dramatically.”
