7/14: Half of Social Networkers Online Concerned About Privacy

50% of U.S. residents who have a profile on a social networking site are worried about their privacy.  This includes 27% who are concerned and 23% who are very concerned.  The remaining 50% aren’t too anxious.  29% are not very concerned, and 21% are not concerned at all.

©istockphoto.com/alexsl

©istockphoto.com/alexsl

The oldest Americans are the most worried.  65% of those 60 and older have some degree of concern about their privacy on a social networking site.

Women with a social networking profile are more concerned about their privacy than men.  A majority of women — 57% — have some level of anxiety about the issue compared with 43% of men.

So, just how many Americans are connecting via social networking websites?  43% say they have a profile on a site like Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn.  57%, however, do not.  There has been little change on this question, overall, since Marist last asked it in December.  At that time 41% of U.S. residents said they stay in touch via social networking websites while 59% did not.

Currently, 40% of men have a profile on a social networking site.  That proportion stood at 36% in December.  Women, however, continue to outnumber men in this regard.  45% use these tools to keep in touch with family and friends.  This proportion has not changed since December.

Table: Privacy on Social Networking Sites
Table: Have a Social Networking Profile

Marist Poll Methodology