Majority of Survey Respondents Dissatisfied With Passwords

A new survey has found that 52 percent of respondents would prefer biometric authentication over traditional password-based systems. The results were published in a white paper from customer identity management solutions provider Gigya, which commissioned OnePoll.com to conduct the study.

The survey polled 2,000 adults in the US and 2,000 adults in the UK online this past February, and found a sense of dissatisfaction with archaic password-based systems. To be clear, the aforementioned majority said they would prefer any kind of advanced verification system above passwords; given specific options, 29 percent said they would prefer two-factor authentication, and 20 percent opted for biometric authentication.

The survey found that younger people tend to be more open to biometric authentication, with almost half of millennials reporting that they use it on their smartphones. That tracks with findings from last year indicating that large majorities of youths in Britain favor the convenience of biometric authentication, and it also corresponds with recent research indicating that smartphone fingerprint sensors can significantly improve user satisfaction.

Commenting on the OnePoll.com survey results, Gigya CEO Patrick Salyer put his own conclusion frankly. “Within the next 10 years, traditional passwords will be dead as an authentication form,” he said, adding that biometric technology will be an important replacement.

(Originally posted on FindBiometrics)