Americans wary of private messaging on social media: 57% think social media bad method for privacy

NEW YORK, May 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- According to the latest YouGov Omnibus survey, a quarter (27%) of older Americans are not sure when social media messaging is really private.  Many Americans believe that it is now appropriate for companies to be able to discipline employees for inappropriate social media content.

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Employers should be able to discipline staff

41% believe companies should be able to discipline staff for their social media activities compared to 32% who do not.  College grads (51%) are more likely to agree on discipline than those with high school education or less (38%), as are those at higher salary levels .  

Although a quarter (25%) think that as long as it is a personal account, an individual's social media pages should be of no concern to their employer, 52% believe companies should be able to discipline an employee for content supporting or indulging in hate crimes, violence or criminal activity.  47% feel that an employer should be able to discipline an employee attacking the company, its staff or brands.

Private Messaging Confusion

There is a deal of confusion about which social media options offer private messaging and many are nervous about using messaging privately without slip-ups. 

• 57% did not think social media was a good method to send private messages
• 53% correctly thought that Facebook had "private" messaging options
• Only 15% knew that LinkedIn or Twitter's (17%) had messaging capabilities

Older users are less likely to venture into the realms of private messaging than younger users.  67% of 18-34 year olds have used Facebook's private messages compared to only 41% of the over 55s.  

Older users are also unsure about the status of messages. 27% of those aged 55+ are not sure when their messages are private and when they are public compared to only 16% of 18-34 year olds.  Many people (50%) assume that any message, even if it starts as a private message, might be made public.

A highly responsible 78% of Americans claim that they have never sent a message they regretted while under the influence of drink or drugs. 15% admitted they may have done this once a year or less.

For more information and full tables visit: http://research.yougov.com/news/2014/05/14/tweets-gone-bad/

Note on Methodology

Total sample size was 1141 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 9th - 12th May 2014.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).

About YouGov 

YouGov is an international full-service research and consulting company, which has pioneered the use of technology to collect higher quality, in-depth data for companies, governments, and institutions so that they can better serve the people that sustain them.   www.research.yougov.com

Contact

Jenny Hall

[email protected]

212 724 3040

Media Contact: Jenny Hall, YouGov, 212 724 3040, [email protected]

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SOURCE YouGov