Data Privacy & Brand Trust Statistics (2026)

Data privacy shapes brand trust: 81% of U.S. consumers are very or somewhat concerned with how companies use the data they collect (Pew Research Center, surveyed May 15-21, 2023), and 75% say they will not purchase from an organization they do not trust with their data (Cisco, 2024). Bookmark this page as we continually provide updated statistics on consumer privacy sentiment, data governance and compliance, first-party data strategy, and brand trust. Every statistic below carries its source and the date the data was collected or published; figures from 2023 or earlier are labeled by year. One caveat applies throughout: percentages describe survey respondents, not the entire customer base of any company.

How concerned are consumers about data privacy?

Concern is high, stable, and poorly informed. In the U.S., Pew Research Center’s survey of 5,101 adults (May 15-21, 2023) found 81% are very or somewhat concerned with how companies use their data, and 73% feel they have little or no control over it. Globally, IAPP’s Privacy and Consumer Trust survey (4,750 consumers, 19 countries, published March 2023) put concern about online privacy at 68%. Comprehension lags concern: only 29% of consumers in the IAPP study say it is easy to understand how well a company protects their data, and Usercentrics’ 2026 study (11,000 consumers, seven markets) found 46% still lack a good understanding of how their data is collected and used.

The trend line runs one way. Pew’s 2023 survey already showed concern rising: the share worried about government data collection climbed from 64% in 2019 to 71% in 2023, and confusion about company data practices rose five points over the same period. Nothing in the 2025 or 2026 consumer studies suggests it reversed.

How does data privacy affect brand trust and buying decisions?

Trust now functions as a purchase precondition, and consumers act on it. Cisco’s 2024 Consumer Privacy Survey (2,600+ consumers, 12 countries) found 75% will not purchase from an organization they do not trust with their data, and Cisco’s 2025 benchmark ties the same logic to the buyer side: privacy investment pays because trust converts. Usercentrics’ 2026 study puts numbers on the consequences of breaking that trust: 47% of consumers took at least one action with a direct revenue consequence in the previous six months because of concerns about how their data was used in AI.

For brands, the commercial logic is direct. Consumers reward proven data handling with consent, and consented data is the raw material of any first-party data strategy — the same trust that reduces churn also enlarges the addressable, opted-in profile base. Cisco’s own buyers’ data makes the point: organizations that communicate clearly about data use hold the single most effective trust lever (see the organization table below).

How is AI changing consumer trust in data handling?

AI is the newest fault line, and the direction of travel is measurable. In Cisco’s 2023 Consumer Privacy Survey, 60% of consumers said they had already lost trust in organizations because of their AI use. Two years later — and in Usercentrics’ own repeating panel, the only cross-year comparison here — the share trusting AI less than humans with their personal data had risen from 48% to 52%, the largest year-on-year movement in that study. Yet consumers will pay for the fix: 52% globally say they will pay an average 7% premium for brands that are transparent about their AI data use.

The premium finding matters more than the concern finding. Concern is universal and cheap to express; a stated willingness to pay is a commercial signal. It also decays with age — 67% among 18-29s against a 52% global average — which puts the burden on brands selling to younger customers first.

What do organizations spend and earn on privacy?

The organization side of the ledger is more settled than the consumer side. Cisco’s 2025 Data Privacy Benchmark (2,600 privacy and security professionals, 12 markets) found 96% of organizations say the benefits of privacy investment exceed the costs, and the 2026 edition reports privacy programs expanding under AI. Breach costs remain the floor under the investment case: IBM puts the global average at USD 4.44M.

Governance is where the gap sits. A customer data platform centralizes consent and profile data so it can be governed, but Cisco’s 2026 numbers show the governance layer itself is young: a quarter of organizations have no dedicated AI governance committee, and few call the ones they have mature. For teams selecting a platform, that makes consent, retention, and deletion scored questions rather than assumed capabilities, and the RFP template turns them into requirements. Privacy spending is expanding, but 99% of respondents to the 2025 benchmark expect to reallocate some of it toward AI initiatives — the funding is being redirected to the same technology straining consumer trust.

Consumer privacy statistics, 2025 vs 2026: what changed?

Usercentrics runs the only one of these studies as a repeating annual panel with published year-on-year comparisons (10,000 consumers in six markets in 2025; 11,000 in seven in 2026; Sweden joined in 2026 and is excluded from comparisons). Its two-year picture: sentiment barely moves, action does.

Sources: Usercentrics State of Digital Trust 2025 (fieldwork May 2025) and 2026 (fieldwork March 2026). The comprehension gap is the stubborn one — two years of privacy headlines moved it zero points, while revenue-consequence action (canceling, switching, reducing spend) became the norm rather than the exception.

How to use these statistics responsibly

Three rules keep these numbers honest. First, every percentage describes survey respondents, not customers: samples range from 2,600 to 11,000 consumers or professionals, and none is a census of any company’s buyer base. Second, the samples differ — Pew covers U.S. adults, IAPP 19 countries, Usercentrics seven markets, Cisco’s consumer and professional surveys different populations again — so figures are comparable across years within a study, not across studies. Third, check the date on every row: the 2021 McKinsey and 2023 IAPP figures are included as baselines because they measure attitudes no 2026 study repeats, not because they describe the present. When a newer survey supersedes one of these rows, the year label makes the replacement obvious.

For a comprehensive tracker of specific regulations, see our U.S. and international data privacy laws reference page.

We’ll keep this page updated, so save the link and check back from time to time!

FAQ

How does data privacy affect brand trust?

In Vercara’s second-annual Consumer Trust & Risk Report (December 2024; vendor survey, sample size not stated in public coverage), 70% of consumers said they would stop shopping with a brand that suffered a security incident. Awareness compounds the effect: consumers who know their country’s privacy law are nearly twice as likely to feel their data is protected (81% vs. 44%) (Cisco, 2024).

What percentage of consumers are concerned about data privacy?

Globally, nearly 68% of consumers are somewhat or very concerned about their online privacy (IAPP, 2023). In the U.S., 73% say they have little or no control over what companies do with their data (Pew Research Center, 2023), and 84% of generative AI users worry that data entered into AI tools could become public (Cisco, 2024).

Why is first-party data important for brands?

First-party data lets brands personalize customer experiences while respecting consent and complying with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Consumers spend an average of 54% more with brands that personalize, yet only 16% of brands say they have the customer data they need to do it (Twilio, State of Customer Engagement, 2024). With Safari and Firefox blocking third-party cookies, strong first-party data practices are a competitive advantage in both trust and marketing effectiveness.