SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A majority of respondents worldwide (54 percent) indicated they might be willing to share their personal data collected from their smart home with companies in exchange for money, and 70 percent agree companies should give coupons and discounts to customers in return for data about device usage, according to a survey of global consumers sponsored by Intel Security. The survey also found that 77 percent of respondents believe smart homes will be as common in 2025 as smartphones are today, but 66 percent are also very concerned about smart home data being hacked by cybercriminals.

The “Internet of Things and the Smart Home” survey released today polled 9,000 individuals from nine countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Smart homes and their associated data have the potential to improve consumers’ everyday lives,” said Steve Grobman, chief technology officer for Intel Security. “The survey shows that many individuals would be comfortable sharing their data for a price, but they are still understandably concerned about cyberthreats. Security has to be foundational to the Internet of Things and when done right, it can be an enabler of IoT.”

Survey respondents were universally worried about potential security threats from smart homes, with 92 percent expressing concern that their personal data could be hacked by cybercriminals. Yet in a testament to innovative security, almost as many respondents (89 percent) said that if they lived in a smart-home, they would likely prefer to secure all their smart devices through a single integrated security package.

Consumers were less enthusiastic about existing security methods such as passwords, with 4 in 10 foreseeing passwords as a frustration with smart homes, and three-quarters (75 percent) indicating they are at least somewhat anxious about the number of passwords likely to be required to manage smart homes. However, biometrics scored well as an alternative for accessing smart homes. When asked to select several preferred forms of biometric security, 54 percent opted for fingerprints, 46 percent for voice recognition and 42 percent for eye scans.

Additional key survey findings include:

Compared to other generations sampled, more Millennials indicated they might be comfortable taking money, discounts and coupons in exchange for sharing their behavioral data from their smart home devices (63 percent for money, 44 percent for discounts and 29 percent for coupons).

Three-quarters (75 percent) of consumers expect to see personal benefits from living in a smart home.

The most commonly considered smart devices are smart lighting (73 percent), smart kitchen appliances (62 percent) and smart thermometers or boiler systems (60 percent).

Over half of respondents expect gas and electric (57 percent) bills and heating and cooling (55 percent) bills to be reduced in a smart home.

For more on this topic, the Atlantic Council is launching a report today that can be accessed at: www.atlanticcouncil.org/publications/reports/smart-homes-and-the-internet-of-things

Methodology

The “Internet of Things and the Smart Home” survey was conducted in July 2015 by Vanson Bourne, an independent market research provider specializing in the technology sector. A total of 9,000 consumers were interviewed globally, including 2,500 from the United States, 1,000 from the United Kingdom, 1,000 from France, 1,000 from Germany, 1,000 from Brazil, 1,000 from India, 500 from Canada, 500 from Mexico and 500 from Australia.

About Intel Security

McAfee is now part of Intel Security. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach to hardware-enhanced security, and unique McAfee Global Threat Intelligence, Intel Security is intensively focused on developing proactive, proven security solutions and services that protect systems, networks, and mobile devices for business and personal use around the world. Intel Security is combining the experience and expertise of McAfee with the innovation and proven performance of Intel to make security an essential ingredient in every architecture and on every computing platform. The mission of Intel Security is to give everyone the confidence to live and work safely and securely in the digital world. www.intelsecurity.com.

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) expands the boundaries of technology to make the most amazing experiences possible. Information about Intel and the work of its more than 100,000 employees can be found at newsroom.intel.com and intel.com.

Intel, the Intel logo, McAfee and the McAfee logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.