Young people see the opportunity of tech but worry about how their data is used in an FGH survey with implications for all data collectors. FGH surveyed 16-26 year-olds in the U.S., China, Germany and the U.K. to find out whether they want to move from rhetoric to regulation for the global technology sector.

Here’s what we found: 

• Young people generally trust the tech sector, but data privacy concerns threaten to erode this trust. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed in the U.S. to 90% of those surveyed in China trust the tech sector. But over half of respondents in all markets expressed concern about how their data is used by companies— and don’t feel they benefit from data collection.

• Attitudes toward regulation are more split. American, British, and German young people are divided on whether companies should be more tightly regulated, while nearly three quarters of Chinese respondents say they should be regulated more. 

• Artificial intelligence is at the frontline. Young people in Western markets are more likely to be worried than excited about AI, while their Chinese counterparts are much more excited. Over half of young people across markets worry about the implications of AI for privacy. Young people in all four markets support calls for greater AI regulation.

So what should companies do?

• Businesses need to do a better job demonstrating what’s ‘in it’ for the consumer when it comes to collecting data.
• Start from first principles and highlight the benefits that data-driven technology provides. 
• Ramp up education and transparency to generate trust—businesses and governments alike.
• Seize the moment to demonstrate the real and tangible benefits of AI.

Read the full report here.