The National Privacy Test results: The US falls from second to third place

About the National Privacy Test

The National Privacy Test is an international survey that helps people assess their knowledge of internet security. The test has 22 questions on daily digital habits, privacy awareness, and cybersecurity threats.

This year, thousands of participants from 181 countries joined the survey to test their cyber hygiene. We collected all the results and focused on the 31 countries with the most responses. We then analyzed these countries in detail, uncovering fascinating differences between their test results.

Each country receives a National Privacy Test score based on participant performance. Our data analysts also categorize participants into four cyber personas based on the number of correct answers.

Before we dive into the findings, let’s explain how we calculate the National Privacy Test (NPT) score and identify cyber personas.

How we calculate NPT scores

We calculate the NPT score by taking the average of three other scores: daily digital life, privacy awareness, and digital risk tolerance. Each of the 22 questions is worth 4.5%. The more questions a respondent answers correctly in each category, the higher their NPT score.

Cyber personas: What are they?

Cyber personas are groups that represent different levels of cybersecurity knowledge and skills based on National Privacy Test scores. Here are the personas and their corresponding NPT scores:

• Cyber Wanderer (1-24%). Cyber Wanderers have the lowest scores. They don’t know enough about digital security and privacy to stay safe online.
• Cyber Tourist (25-49%). Cyber Tourists know more than Wanderers but still need to learn a lot. Their average scores show they need to improve their cybersecurity knowledge.
• Cyber Adventurer (50-74%). Cyber Adventurers have a good understanding of online security and privacy issues. Their scores are relatively high.
• Cyber Star (75-100%). Cyber Stars have the best scores. They have excellent cybersecurity awareness, knowledge, and skills, making them very safe online.

What do the numbers show?

In 2023, US participants held a solid second place in cybersecurity knowledge. This year, they’ve slipped to third place, sharing the podium with Germany. Despite the drop, US participants still outperform most other countries and show strong cybersecurity skills. Let’s dive into the details of these impressive results.

Key takeaways

The National Privacy Test survey shows US respondents know a lot about online safety practices. They also boast the highest digital risk score among all countries. Here are even more insights:

• Though US respondents scored highly on most questions, only a few (5%) know what privacy issues to consider when using AI for work. Similarly, just 15% know where to store passwords safely.
• US participants are among the best at understanding how devices might become infected with malware, what data internet service providers collect in metadata, and how to handle unexpected bank emails about withdrawals. They also know what to do if a service provider is breached and exposes their account information.
• Nine in ten of US respondents know which sensitive data to avoid sharing on social media. Sharing your location or personal details with strangers poses many risks. People in the US seem to understand this well. You never know who might misuse this information, whether for cyberbullying or identity theft.
• Most US respondents (95%) know how to create strong passwords, which is key to keeping their accounts safe from cybercriminals.
• Most Americans (96%) believe they can easily spot and handle suspicious streaming service offers. These scams often promise too-good-to-be-true deals to lure unsuspecting users, but savvy Americans are ready to tackle them head-on.

Cyber personas in the US

The US has the second-highest number of Cyber Stars (14%), with Singapore and Finland taking the top spot. Most Americans (68%) are Cyber Adventurers, while Cyber Tourists make up 17%. Fortunately, only 1% of US respondents are Cyber Wanderers.

Key changes since 2023

One year isn’t enough to develop strong digital security habits, yet even a low-percentage growth can make a big difference. Unfortunately, the percentages in the US have declined.

Compared to 2023, the National Privacy Test score in 2024 dropped by 3 points, the privacy awareness score fell by 4, and the digital risk score decreased by 5 percentage points. These numbers aren’t huge but represent a worrying downward trend.

However, there are also positive changes. Compared to 2023, more people now know how to handle phishing attacks and what to do if a hacker demands ransom money. Additionally, more people understand how cybercriminals make fake URLs look legitimate, helping them avoid phishing scams and stay safer online.

Despite these gains, the number of people who recognize the security benefits of updating apps has significantly dropped since 2023. The score fell by 12 percentage points compared to last year. This decline means fewer people are taking essential steps to protect their devices from vulnerabilities, exposing them to cyber threats.

An overview of global results

Overall, the test shows that global privacy and cybersecurity awareness is declining. This year’s total score was 58 out of 100, down from 61 last year.

“Technological advancements might be overwhelming for some people, which may make them struggle to keep up. Convenience-driven online applications become more ingrained in our daily lives, and people often prioritize ease of use over privacy, unintentionally exposing themselves to risks. Even though it’s concerning to see a decline in global internet privacy awareness, this trend only confirms the growing need for more education in protecting our personal data online,” says Marijus Briedis, the CTO of NordVPN.

“Nowadays, individuals are more focused on immediate benefits rather than long-term security, and this shift might have resulted in a decrease in privacy awareness. Additionally, as people navigate through vast amounts of content, important security alerts and privacy tips often get lost in the noise,“ he says.

Global findings

Some of the global results have been summarized below. Check out the National Privacy Test report for even more insights and country comparisons.

• The global test results show that participants perform best on questions about creating strong passwords, with an average of 96% answering correctly across analyzed countries. They also do well with handling suspicious streaming service offers (95%).
• However, they perform worst in understanding what data ISPs collect as part of metadata, with only 13% answering correctly. Even fewer, just 6%, know what privacy issues to consider when using AI for work. As technologies become more complex and evolve rapidly, it becomes increasingly difficult for people to keep up.
• Similarly, only a small percentage of people (16%) know how to secure their home Wi-Fi network. This lack of knowledge can leave their networks vulnerable to cyberattacks, unauthorized access, and data theft, putting their personal information at risk.
• Moreover, fewer participants (56%) in 2024 understand the security benefits of updating apps as soon as the update is available compared to those in 2023 (69%). This decline marks the biggest drop since last year.
• Looking at the cyber personas, only one in ten is a Cyber Star. This year saw fewer Cyber Stars and Adventurers. Again, this trend might be due to the rapid advancement of technology, making it harder for people to stay updated with the latest cybersecurity practices.
• Interestingly, people aged 30 to 54 have the highest scores and are most likely to be Cyber Stars. The results suggest that younger people and those aged over 54 need to brush up on their cybersecurity skills and improve their online privacy habits.
• Globally, the top-performing countries for cybersecurity and privacy awareness are Singapore (NPT = 62), Finland and Lithuania (NPT = 61), and Germany and the United States (NPT = 60).

Think you can ace the National Privacy Test? Visit the official National Privacy Test website and take the survey to see how many questions you get right.

Methodology

The National Privacy Test is an open-access survey anyone can complete. In 2024, the survey had 25,567 respondents from 181 countries. It is not nationally representative, because no quotas on age or gender were set.

The information in the blog post uses data from the survey collected until July 17, 2024. Any differences between the report and the webpage results are due to participants taking the survey after that date.