A new report by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) reveals that 61% of consumers are “comfortable” with the amount of personal information they share.

With GDPR hitting our shores in exactly 100 days, the survey of 1,047 UK consumers around attitudes to data privacy should come as welcome news by marketers, with the regulatory update set to make it harder to acquire, process and act on personally identifiable information.  

This change of attitude is highest among 55-64 year-olds – who in the past have been more cautious around sharing their information – where 63% are happy to share their data compared to 47% in 2012.

However, underlying the overall positive response is the role of transparency; 88% of respondents cited open discourse on data use a key factor to improving trust between brands and the consumer, which is set to be improved across the board as GDPR comes into play.

“GDPR establishes a level of transparency and honesty about how data is collected and used, which will be essential to continuing to build and maintain trust between businesses and consumers,” said Chris Combemale, group CEO of the DMA.

Changing attitudes

With more than half (51%) of respondents citing data as essential to today’s economy, there has been a clear shift in attitude among consumers around marketers’ use of data in recent years. A quarter of the sample were entirely unconcerned about data privacy and exchange, while for consumers between the ages of 18-24, this figure sat at 38%.

The DMA also identified a group regarded as ‘data pragmatists’, or those that are willing to share their personal data in exchange for a benefit or enhancement of services (50%), while 61% of 18-24 year olds view data as a “tradeable asset” for financial offering.

“The clear trend is towards greater real-life acceptance of data exchange as part and parcel of everyday. This is good news for marketers who believe in data ethics and adopt the highest standards in data-driven marketing,” commented Jed Mole, European marketing director at Acxiom.

While the results of the survey may be positive for the health data-led marketing, the race is still on for organisations to make their finals preparations ahead of GDPR.

Earlier in the month, PerformanceIN reported that still, 59% of marketers have yet to receive GDPR training from their current employer, while affiliate network Awin laid down the gauntlet for competitors to clarify their role in the handling of advertiser data.