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How people use digital tools and think about privacy

Source reportMethodology

Overview

Digital tools were already part of ordinary adult life, while survey privacy concern was present but not dominant.

Roughly 72% said they had used Zoom, and 65% said they used apps like Twitter daily. About 47% were not at all worried that survey answers are kept private, while 39% were at least somewhat worried.

Headline

72% of adults said they had used Zoom.

Have you ever used Zoom?

72.3% yes

2022 · base n 1,163 · +/- 3.0%

Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey

View source data

Zoom use was widespread

Roughly 72% of adults said they had used Zoom. About 26% said they had not, and 2% were not sure.

The result makes Zoom a mainstream behavior, not a narrow technology niche.

Topline

65% said they used apps like Twitter daily.

How frequently do you use social media apps like Twitter?

  • Daily 65.4%
  • I do not use apps like Twitter 18.9%
  • Once or twice a week 10.8%
  • A few times a month 4.9%

2022 · base n 1,163 · +/- 3.0%

Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey

View source data

Daily social-media use was common

About 65% of adults said they used apps like Twitter daily. Roughly 11% used them once or twice a week.

Nonuse was still visible. About 19% said they did not use apps like Twitter.

Stacked breakdown

47% were not at all worried about survey-answer privacy.

How worried or not are you that your answers to survey questions are kept private?

Extremely worried
10.7%
Very worried
8.6%
Somewhat worried
19.1%
Slightly worried
14.7%
Not at all worried
46.9%

2022 · base n 1,163 · +/- 3.0%

Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey

View source data

Survey privacy concern remained mixed

Roughly 47% were not at all worried that their survey answers are kept private. About 19% were somewhat worried, 15% were slightly worried, 11% were extremely worried, and 9% were very worried.

Respondents also largely said they gave their own views in the survey. About 87% selected "all your own true views," while 8% selected "mostly your own views."

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Population
US adults age 18+
Field dates
2022-05-28 → 2022-06-01
Base (unweighted)
1,163
Margin of error
+/- 3.0%
Module
2022 Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey
Sponsor
Verasight
Weight variable
weight
Weighting targets
age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

Sources

[4]
  • 01
    Have you ever used Zoom?Measures broad use of a mainstream digital tool.reports.verasight.io/reports/2022-verasight-national-aapor-omnibus-survey
  • 02
    How frequently do you use social media apps like Twitter?Adds social media frequency.reports.verasight.io/reports/2022-verasight-national-aapor-omnibus-survey
  • 03
    How worried or not are you that your answers to survey questions are kept private?Adds privacy concern about survey answers.reports.verasight.io/reports/2022-verasight-national-aapor-omnibus-survey
  • 04
    Some people have been answering surveys playing a role, rather than giving their own true views.During this survey did you give..Adds respondent self-report about giving true views.reports.verasight.io/reports/2022-verasight-national-aapor-omnibus-survey

Citation

2022 Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey, fielded May 28-June 1, 2022, N=1,163 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.0%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/2022-verasight-national-aapor-omnibus-survey#have-you-ever-used-zoom

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
AAPOR transparency standards.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.