Ping Identity published its 2024 Consumer Survey which revealed that 87% of consumers across markets are concerned about identity fraud, a 24% increase year over year, and 89% have concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) impacting their identity security. The data shows the desire for seamless digital experiences is widespread, with 75% wanting changes to how they log in to apps and websites.

Read the full survey: The Great Technology Wave: Overcoming the Fear of Unknowns for Improved Digital Experiences

"Digital experience is at the heart of customer trust, and as expectations continue to evolve, brands must prioritize creating a more secure and intuitive online environment," said Darryl Jones, Vice President of Consumer Strategy at Ping Identity. "There's immense opportunity for organizations to leverage AI and decentralized identity to achieve this goal, but it requires addressing consumer concerns head-on while ensuring adoption is gradual and approachable. These technologies are the future of identity and adopters will stand apart from non-adopters by achieving best in class consumer experiences."

Global findings underscore heightened expectations around the digital experience, with password frustrations and authentication preferences rising to the forefront:

• 89% have complaints about passwords, 61% admitting they have too many to keep track of.
• Security (78%), ease of use (76%), and privacy/consent (69%) are top concerns for consumers when interacting with online brands.
• 54% have stopped using an online service because they became frustrated when trying to log in, and with 37% unsatisfied, healthcare apps offer the biggest opportunity for improvement.
• Consumers are reassured by text-email prompts like one-time logins (47%), multi-factor authentication (46%), and biometrics (40%), all of which are perceived as secure and convenient.

Consumers expressed declining trust in organizations and greater concern over identity fraud:

• Most (97%) have concerns about their personal data being online, with only 8% having full trust in organizations that manage their identity data, lower than 10% last year.
• 36% have fallen victim to identity fraud, with financial identity fraud (18%), account takeover (9%), and impersonation (8%) being the most common fraud types experienced by respondents.
• 26% receive spam calls daily, reaching 44% when looking at U.S. respondents alone.

As AI and decentralized identity (DCI) gain wider adoption among businesses, consumers remain hesitant about adopting technologies that could offer a better and more empowered experience:

• 85% admitted barriers to adopting a digital wallet on their personal mobile device, with common hesitations including loss of their phone (47%) and increased security risks (44%).
• Lack of transparency (50%) and increased security risks (48%) were concerns around AI.
• Despite 41% of consumers using AI in their personal and/or professional life, 69% would still prefer to speak to a human to gain additional support, even if that experience takes longer.