Despite strong privacy concerns and more cautious sharing of personal information, new survey results suggest tepid reaction to “Quit Facebook” campaign.

New York – May 28th 2010. A new study from interactive research and technology firm Vision Critical looks at recent privacy issues with Facebook and consumer reactions to the “Quit Facebook Day on May 31st” campaign. Despite Facebook users’ increasing unease about their privacy on the popular social network and recent dire warnings in the technology media, users are in fact not flocking to delete their Facebook accounts.

57 percent of American Facebook users are aware of recent news stories about Facebook but only 11 percent have heard of the “Quit Facebook Day on May 31st” campaign. Of those aware of the campaign, 22% expect to quit on Monday. This equates to only 2% of total US Facebook account holders deleting their account on “Quit Facebook Day”.

While the findings suggest that a mass exodus from Facebook will not occur, users are clearly becoming more cautious about how they use the site. 81% of respondents say they are now using Facebook more carefully and 76% are not sharing as much personal information as they used to. 55% said that they found Facebook privacy settings confusing.

Although users are now being more careful, 61% did think that Facebook has done a good job of responding to privacy concerns.

According to Matt Kleinschmit, Senior Vice President of Media, Vision Critical, “These findings suggest that while Facebook users are becoming increasingly concerned about their privacy and the type of information they are sharing with others, the apocalyptic predictions of mass churn from Facebook are highly overrated and likely fueled by a small but vocal group of highly engaged Facebook consumers. Too many users are just too vested in the service to delete their account and dismantle a social network they have cultivated over time. This reinforces an interesting paradox of social networks that we have examined extensively in past waves of research, namely that despite the fact that consumers use this medium for facilitating communication with some of their most trusted friends and family, they view social networks themselves as inherently untrustworthy, particularly relative to more traditional media channels.”

Survey results are based on 699 Americans aged 18+ with an active Facebook account who were surveyed on May 25, 2010 using Vision Critical’s Springboard America online research panel. Final results are weighted by age, gender and region to represent the total universe of American adults with a Facebook.

About Vision Critical®:
Vision Critical is a global research and technology company specializing in custom online panels, private communities, and innovative online methods. Vision Critical delivers both the technology and full service research to help clients build stronger connections with their customers using interactive surveys, discussion forums and 3D environments.

Contact information:

Jenny Hall
VP Corporate Communications, Vision Critical
+1 347.640.1341
jennifer.hall@visioncritical.com

Matt Kleinschmit
Senior Vice President of Media, Vision Critical
+1 312.546.9901
matt.kleinschmit@visioncritical.com