The survey questioned a nationally representative sample of 2,038 adults who participate in the RAND American Life Panel, an Internet-based survey panel.
The findings are from one of the first examinations of consumers experiences with data breaches and the impact it has on their relationships with the companies that lose their personal information.
The RAND survey found that among those who remembered receiving a data breach notification at any time over their lifetime, about 44% said they were aware of the hack even before they received notification. About 10% discovered the breach by identifying suspicious activity themselves.
Surprisingly, 62% of consumers reported they accepted offers of free credit monitoring. information contained in the notices. About 77% said they were highly satisfied with the companys post-breach response. More than 12% of those surveyed received two or more notifications in the year preceding the survey.
Lillian Ablon, a cybersecurity and emerging technologies researcher at RAND, said while data breaches have become an alarmingly common part of American life, most people appear satisfied with companies responses to data breaches and few decide to take their business elsewhere.
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