Security perceived as primary benefit of biometric authentication

According to the survey, 68% of Europeans said they would trust organisations more if they were to use biometrics for authentication. The survey also found that tech-savvy consumers are ready for biometric authentication, such as fingerprint readers or iris scanning, in replacement of passwords or PINs – with 50% of respondents saying not having to remember passwords is a major benefit of the technology.

The survey-takers cited security as the key driver for adopting biometrics, with 52 percent believing it to be a more secure way of accessing devices and services. Ditching passwords was found to be appealing. Half thought biometrics would help avoid having to remember passwords, and 9% believe using biometrics to be “more fun” than other authentication methods. Fingerprint scanning was found to be the most popular authentication method (61%) and the second favourite method was iris scanning, with 41% of respondents registering their support.

Of the types of organisations that hold online accounts for the public, 51% trust banks to manage data and provide a seamless experience, and 45% put their trust in government to do the same. By comparison, just 12% of consumers put their trust in social media companies.

Unisys conducted its 2017 Biometrics Study in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland and Italy to investigate the public’s perceptions on the use of biometrics and sharing their personal biometric data for quicker and easier access to online services. Unisys surveyed more than 3,500 people in August 2017.