Americans are Worried About Digital and Physical Security in Large Venues

The 2019 Unisys Security Index suggests that people are increasingly worried about their safety in large venues. The survey found that the vast majority of Americans (83 percent) were worried about physical harm as the result of an attack at a large-scale event like a concert or a sports game, with a full 22 percent cancelling plans (or at least considering it) as a result.

The respondents were equally concerned about the threat of cyberattacks against those venues. Roughly 80 percent were worried that malicious actors would be able to steal their personal information or credit card number through a venue’s Wi-Fi connection.

However, there was some support for biometric technology to address those concerns. Unisys found that 81 percent of the respondents were comfortable with the use of biometric identity verification in airports, with the plurality (42 percent) highlighting safety and terrorism prevention as the primary reason for their support. Reliability and convenience were also important factors.

The full survey revealed that people’s fears have increased since 2018, with young people reporting higher levels of concern than their elder counterparts. The US findings are in keeping with a broader global trend, which implies that people are open to new technologies as long as those technologies lead to better security.

To that end, Unisys has repeatedly argued that modern cybersecurity practices should benefit the lives of the people that use them.