In 2023, 71% of US adults were very or somewhat concerned about how the government uses the data it collects about them, up from 64% in 2019. That is a rise of 7 points (our arithmetic). Pew Research Center says this reflects rising concern among Republicans, from 63% to 77%, while concern among Democrats held steady.
Pew surveyed 5,101 US adults from May 15 to 21, 2023.
Concern, control and understanding
| Share of US adults who say they | Companies | The government |
|---|---|---|
| Are very or somewhat concerned about how it uses data collected about them | 81% | 71% |
| Have very little or no control over the data it collects about them | 73% | 79% |
| Have very little or no understanding of what it does with that data | 67% | 77% |
More adults were concerned about how companies use their data than about the government, 81% against 71%. More felt they had little or no control over what the government collects, 79% against 73% for companies. The share who said they had little or no understanding of what companies do with their data rose from 59% in 2019 to 67% in 2023.
What worries people most
Asked about three situations, 42% of adults said they were very worried about companies selling their information to others without them knowing, and 38% about people stealing their identity or personal information. Fewer, 15%, were very worried about law enforcement monitoring what they do online.
Police surveillance during an investigation
Roughly three in four adults said it was very or somewhat acceptable for law enforcement to obtain footage from cameras people install at their homes, or to use cellphone tower data to track where someone is, during a criminal investigation. Slight majorities said the same about requiring third parties to turn over private chats, messages or calls (55%) and breaking the passcode on a user’s phone (54%). About one in ten were not sure.
| Group | Home camera footage | Cellphone tower tracking | Private chats from third parties | Breaking a phone passcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All US adults | 74% | 74% | 55% | 54% |
| Ages 18 to 29 | 57% | 57% | 45% | 35% |
| Ages 30 to 49 | 69% | 70% | 50% | 49% |
| Ages 50 to 64 | 80% | 81% | 63% | 64% |
| Ages 65 or older | 88% | 86% | 61% | 68% |
Older adults were more accepting of every step. For example, 88% of adults 65 and older found home camera footage acceptable, against 57% of those 18 to 29, a gap of 31 points (our arithmetic).
What the numbers do not say
These figures are views, not measures of how often companies or police collect data. Half of the respondents heard the police questions with the added context of a criminal investigation where public safety is at risk, and Pew says the differences in response were largely modest. Pew’s privacy topic page lists no newer survey on these questions, so the 2023 figures are the latest. The earlier version’s workplace monitoring and “living in freedom” figures have no current public source on a publisher’s page, so they are not updated here.
The short version
In 2023, 81% of US adults were concerned about how companies use their data and 71% about how the government does, up from 64% in 2019 for the government. Most adults accepted police use of home camera footage and cellphone tower data in a criminal investigation, and older adults were more accepting than younger ones.
Last checked: November 2, 2026, against the Pew Research Center report How Americans View Data Privacy (October 18, 2023). This article was machine-checked against the sources above and has not been expert-reviewed. Spotted an error or a newer public figure? Please tell us on our contact page with the article link and we will review it.
Sources
- S1 McClain, Colleen, Michelle Faverio, Monica Anderson, and Eugenie Park. How Americans View Data Privacy. Pew Research Center, October 18, 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/10/18/how-americans-view-data-privacy/ Accessed Nov 2, 2026.