Cyber-Security Profiles of European Users: A Survey

Abstract

Cyber-security concerns, experiences and protective activities are increasingly discussed not only among specialists but among the general public. There is considerable variability among users, at individual and social level, in the intensity of digital activity, experience of cyber-attacks, preventive measures and concern with security. In this paper we rely on the Eurobarometer 87.4/2017 survey and we classify European Internet users in four attitudinal profiles: the avoiding, the exploratory, the wary and the aware. This empirical classification captures statistical variability and helps build a more nuanced profile of European countries, in order to adapt national policies of awareness to cybercrime.