Privacy Concern in Western Balkan Countries: Developing a Typology of Citizens

Abstract:

There is a necessity to balance the need for security and fear about losing privacy, while maintaining this balance is crucial for avoiding erosion of public support for privacy policy. Citizens and consumers' attitudes towards privacy are important for shaping privacy policy, and there is a paucity of research on privacy and data protection issues, especially in less developed countries. This study examines what groups of population with similar attitudes towards privacy, data protection and surveillance exist in Western Balkan countries, and whether they can be differentiated by demographic characteristics and by country of residence. The data is collected by public opinion survey to assess the value privacy may have for citizens and if privacy is recognized as a social and political value. The findings indicate that there are three groups of citizens with similar attitudes: (1) pro-surveillance oriented citizens, (2) citizens concerned about being surveilled and (3) citizens opting for better data protection, which differ in age, education, employment and country of residence. The results show that citizens in Western Balkan countries are not homogeneous in their attitudes, and as a result, governments in those countries should take into consideration local differences when shaping privacy policies. Policy implications are discussed to encourage public debate on contemporary privacy, data protection and surveillance issues in the region.

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