British Public Worried Government Spending Cuts Will Impact Data Security

March 23, 2011 - PRLog -- In a recent online YouGov survey of over 2000 respondents in Great Britain, conducted for Websense, the British public voice concerns for their data security in light of the current UK government budget cuts. Concern for the security of respondents’ personal and financial information topped concerns for the security of government ‘secrets’ and confidence levels are eroding year on year.

Andy Philpott, regional vice president, UK and Ireland for Websense explains: “Public perception is always difficult to change following a headline-grabbing incident such as a data breach, yet it’s important to note that many government departments are working hard to ensure that data is not compromised in the future and that cuts can represent a fresh way of thinking for their security strategy. With more government organisations starting to share services such as their IT, this is a great opportunity for them to invest in an integrated security solution that not only reduces costs; it also increases their data security. An example would be the adoption of an integrated hybrid approach that embraces both the cloud and on-premise security that can save companies as much as 40%[1].”

Highlights from the survey:

Data at Risk: 48% of respondents expressed worry that the government spending cuts in 2011 would put their personal and financial information at risk and 35% about the security of government ‘secrets’.
- Personal & financial information: Only 10% were ‘not at all worried’ with 14% ‘very worried’
- Government ‘secrets’: A total of 17% were not at all worried and 8% were ‘very worried’

Data Security of Central Government and Local Councils:
- Central Government (including HMRC, DVLA & Passport Agency) was ranked above local councils amongst British public surveyed: Respondents were divided with 47% being very or fairly confident that they are able to keep people’s data safe
- Local councils: Just 36% felt they could keep data safe

Five Year Impact: More people believe that their personal and financial information will be impacted by the cuts than government ‘secrets’.
- 44% of all respondents felt that government spending cuts would reduce the security of their personal and financial information over the next 5 years; with 19% believing the impact will make data ‘much less secure’
- 40% believe cuts will affect the security of government ‘secrets’ over the next 5 years; with 19% believing the impact will make data ‘much less secure’
- Approximately a quarter of all respondents felt that there would be no impact to the security of personal & financial data and government ‘secrets’ over the next 5 years from government spending cuts (25% and 24% respectively)

Eroding Confidence Levels: 32% of respondents have less confidence in local and central government’s ability to keep their personal data safe in 2011 in comparison to this time last year; with future confidence dropping further when looking at 2012.
- Looking forward to 2012, 36% believe they will be less confident than they are presently
- Only 7% of respondents are more confident than last year with a mere 1% having much more confidence that their personal data is safe.


[1] 1.“The Cost Benefits of a Hybrid Approach to Security,” An Osterman Research White Paper, February 2010.

About the YouGov Survey:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2107 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 31st January - 2nd February 2011.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).


About Websense, Inc.
Websense, Inc. , a global leader in unified Web security, email security, and data loss prevention (DLP) solutions, delivers the best content security for modern threats at the lowest total cost of ownership to tens of thousands of enterprise, mid-market and small organizations around the world. Distributed through a global network of channel partners and delivered as software, appliance and Security-as-a-Service (SaaS), Websense content security solutions help organizations leverage Web 2.0 and cloud communication, collaboration, and social media while protecting from advanced persistent threats, preventing the loss of confidential information and enforcing internet use and security policies. Websense is headquartered in San Diego, California with offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.websense.com.

Follow Websense on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/websense/
Join the discussion on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/websense/

# # #

Websense, Inc. , a global leader in unified Web security, email security, and data loss prevention (DLP) solutions, delivers the best content security for modern threats at the lowest total cost of ownership to tens of thousands of enterprise, mid-market and small organizations around the world. Distributed through a global network of channel partners and delivered as software, appliance and Security-as-a-Service (SaaS), Websense content security solutions help organizations leverage Web 2.0 and cloud communication, collaboration, and social media while protecting from advanced persistent threats, preventing the loss of confidential information and enforcing internet use and security policies. Websense is headquartered in San Diego, California with offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.websense.com