According to research by Unisys Corporation, the majority of mobile device users worldwide feel safe using their mobile devices for applications, including airline boarding passes; as payments in stores for low-cost items; or to access online banking.

 

The latest Unisys Security Index found that the overwhelming majority of mobile device users in the United States (83 percent), Spain (80 percent) and the United Kingdom (75 percent) said they would be comfortable using the devices for one or more of the applications. Additionally, about half of device users from the Netherlands (49 percent), Belgium (51 percent) and Germany (52 percent) said they would feel safe using mobile devices for these same services. Of the 80 percent of Americans who said they own cell phones or handheld devices, 40 percent said they would feel safe using these devices to receive notifications if their credit cards are charged more than a specified amount. And 38 percent said they would feel safe using them to purchase cinema, sporting event or theater tickets.

 

While there was broad acceptance among device users towards one or more of the applications, users’ responses frequently differed as to which of the applications they would feel safe using on their mobile devices. However, there was greater confidence in the security of mobile devices across the board among younger consumers. For example, 76 percent of UK citizens 18-24 years-old said they would feel secure using their mobile devices as airline boarding passes, compared to just under half of all UK device users (49 percent). In the U.S., 53 percent of consumers aged 18-34 years-old said they would feel safe using them to purchase theater, sports or cinema tickets, compared to 38 percent acceptance rate for U.S. citizens overall.

 

Additional findings include: