Large Majority Opposes Marketers Tracking Their Web Habits

Sixty-six percent of Americans say they do not want marketers to tailor advertisements to their interests when they visit Web sites. And, when informed of the ways marketers gather information about consumers, that number rises to as high as 86 percent depending on the method, according to a survey conducted June 18 to July 2 for the Annenberg School for Communication and the University of California (Berkeley) School of Law.

The Berkeley-Annenberg study said "It is hard to escape the conclusion that our survey is tapping into a deep concern by Americans that marketers' tailoring of ads for them and various forms of tracking that informs those personalizations are wrong."

Some details on the findings:

Those surveyed said by 66 percent to 32 percent that they would not want Web sites they visit to show them ads tailored to their interest. That rises to 86 percent if information gathered on their offline activities, such as purchases made in stores, was used.

They were more split -- 49 percent to 47 percent -- on whether Web sites having information on them would lead to discounts on products or services. However, 62 percent said they would not want to be led to discounts based on what they did on a Web site, and 78 percent would not want to be shown discounts based on what they did on other sites or offline.

They said by 57 percent to 40 percent that they do not want Web sites to steer them to news that is tailored to their interests. That number rises to 71 percent if the mechanism for tailoring news is based on what the user does on the Web site, to 83 percent if based on what the user did on other Web sites, and 85 percent if it was based on what they did offline.

There are generational differences in the results. Those aged 18-to-24 say by 55 percent to 45 percent that they don't want Web sites to show them ads tailored to their interests, and that number rises steadily the older the user gets with 82 percent of those over 65 opposing the practice.

Sixty-four percent of the 18-to-24 group, 56 percent of the 25-to-34 group, and 50 percent of the 35-to-49 age group say they would want Web sites to show them discounts. Fifty-eight percent of those between 50 and 64 and 70 percent of those over 65 would not.

All groups oppose Web sites tailoring news presentations for them, with the youngest and oldest users again serving as bookends: the 18-to-24 crowd saying "no" by 54 percent to 46 percent and seniors by 68 percent to 32 percent.

By 47 percent to 27 percent, respondents agreed with the statement that "consumers have lost all control over how personal information is collected and used by companies." Sixty-nine percent want to see a law that gives people the right to know everything a Web site knows about them.