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Americans show little concern over cybersecurity threats stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Sam Gutierrez

April 22, 2022 | 2 min read

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Key findings:

Americans are most concerned about inflation and financial instability stemming from the Ukraine-Russia conflict, but only 1 in 4 (26%) are worried about cyber attacks

Cyber attacks take a back seat to economic issues when it comes to the fallout from the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Two in three (65%) U.S. adults say they are most likely to be affected by inflation, followed by global financial instability (47%) and supply chain shortages (43%). Only one in four (26%) expect to be impacted by cyber attacks related to Russia or Ukraine.

Nearly half (48%) of U.S. adults believe foreign companies should completely stop doing business in Russia, while younger Americans prefer to pause operations

Foreign companies who do business are largely expected to end or pause operations in Russia: 48% of Americans say they should completely cease operations, while 38% prefer pausing operations. Only 11% believe companies should continue to operate as usual. Support for ending operations is higher among older Americans; less than one in three (29%) Gen Zers support ceasing operations, compared with 36% of Millennials, 49% of Gen Xers, and 64% of Boomers. Younger consumers are also less likely to boycott companies who continue to do business in Russia.

Only 1 in 3 (32%) U.S. adults are confident that social media platforms are properly equipped to protect them from cybersecurity threats

Consumers have little confidence in the cybersecurity of their email providers and social media platforms; only slightly more than half (55%) are very or somewhat confident that their email provider is properly equipped to protect users from online threats, with even fewer expressing confidence in social media platforms (32%). Banks and healthcare providers are largely trusted (71% and 64% respectively).

Cyber security attacks are bad for business: nearly 6 in 10 (55%) U.S. adults are less likely to shop at brands who fall victim to cyber attacks

An overwhelming 76% of Americans believe that businesses in the U.S. will experience a major cyber attack within the next 12 months. Once again, younger consumers are fazed about the possibility of a large-scale cyber attack, with 61% of Gen Zers expecting a major cyber attack, compared with 68% of Millennials, 79% of Gen Xers, and 86% of Boomers. 

Businesses who experience cyber attacks risk losing customers over a lack of cyber protection: 55% of Americans say they are less likely to do business with brands who fall victim to a cyber attack, and only 34% expect to continue to business as usual.

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Read more about our polling methodology here.

Click through all the results in the interactive toplines below: