Increased Media Coverage Driving Up Awareness and Confusion About RFID Among Consumers

Second Wave of the RFID Consumer Buzz Study Among 8,500 Consumers Found Awareness and Confusion Increasing Among the General Population

In the second wave of the RFID Consumer Buzz study fielded by Artafact and BIGresearch in January 2005, more than one-third of consumers report being aware of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. Awareness increased quarter over quarter from just 28.2% aware to 35.5% aware.

In just one quarter, TV and Radio News surpassed the Internet as the most common way people learn about RFID. However, with this increase in awareness from mass media stories comes increased confusion and misinformation about RFID. Fewer than half think RFID is a "good idea," just 44%. Concern over potential abuses of privacy remains unchanged quarter over quarter with 66% expressing some concern. They are concerned less with the technology itself versus how it is being applied. There are "good" and "bad" applications of RFID technology according to consumers.

The newly aware group is just as likely to be men as women, although awareness among women trails that of men. Almost 50% of men are aware of the technology versus 24.9% of women. Attitudes about RFID vary by gender with women being much less positive about it than men. 67.2% of women aware of RFID believe that it is not a good idea or are unsure about it.

"Consumers are likely to take action against technology encroaching on their privacy just as they have with the 'Do Not Call' list and anti-spam email policies," said Linda Stegeman, President of Artafact. "They have learned to protect their privacy and will take active measures to do so in the future."

Learn more about the uses and abuses of RFID technology according to consumers. Sign up for the full report: http://www.bigresearch.com/rfid.htm.

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