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To help contextualise the findings in this report, the following vignettes present 2 hypothetical individuals whose experiences reflect common attitudes and behaviours identified in the survey. While not based on real people, each vignette draws on key data points to illustrate how Australians navigate privacy in practice.
Vignette 1: ‘Privacy conscious and cautious’
Name: Margaret
Age: 62
Occupation: Retired nurse
Margaret has always been careful with her personal information, but over the past few years she’s found herself becoming much more vigilant. Like many Australians, she feels her concern has increased, she says that she is now “definitely more worried than 5 years ago,” something reflected by the 87% of Australians who say the same. She’s particularly uneasy about stories of data breaches and scams, which reinforce her belief that organisations don’t always handle information securely.
When Margaret interacts with services, she tries to share as little as possible. She prefers dealing with familiar providers like her GP or government services, where her trust tends to be higher. Still, even in those situations, she sometimes questions why she’s being asked for certain details. She firmly believes there should be limits, like the 92% of Australians who say there are some types of information organisations should never collect. She finds requests for things like biometric data or overly detailed personal information unnecessary in most contexts, and will often look for alternatives if something feels excessive.
Margaret is also one of the many Australians who feels that exercising privacy rights isn’t straightforward. While she supports stronger protections, including the right to deletion, which 93% of Australians back, she admits she wouldn’t always know where to start if she had a concern. Like many people, she suspects the process might be too time‑consuming or wouldn’t make a difference anyway, which is why she tends to avoid lodging formal complaints. If services were more upfront and gave him meaningful control, she’d be more willing to engage, which aligns with the 68% of Australians who say they would be more likely to use digital services if they trusted how their data was handled.
For Margaret, privacy is deeply important, but managing it in practice often feels not worth the hassle.
Vignette 2: ‘Convenience-‑oriented and open’
Name: Daniel
Age: 29
Occupation: Digital marketing specialist
Daniel is comfortable navigating digital services and is used to sharing personal information online. He knows privacy matters, like most Australians, he agrees it’s important, but in day‑to‑day life, he often prioritises convenience. Signing up for apps, agreeing to privacy policies, and linking accounts feels routine, and he rarely reads the fine print, much like the 69% of Australians who say they often accept policies without reading them.
For Daniel, sharing data often feels like part of the deal. He recognises that access to services sometimes depends on it, reflecting the 52% of Australians who say they accept sharing information because otherwise they might miss out on essential services or opportunities. Still, he occasionally feels uneasy about how much control he actually has. Even though he uses tools like app permissions and account settings on his devices and accounts, he’s not always confident they make much difference, and he relates to the 78% of Australians who feel they have little or no real control over how their data is collected and used. Daniel’s views start to shift when it comes to more sensitive or behind‑the‑scenes data use. He’s particularly wary of things like targeted advertising based on personal data or companies using information to train AI systems after that service has been completed, both practices widely seen as unfair by Australians. While he’s open to sharing information when the benefit is clear, he expects transparency and choice.
