Most U.S. consumers are comfortable using biometrics to authenticate themselves, according to a survey released Tuesday by Unisys Corp.
The Blue Bell, Pa., technology vendor said that more than 70% of people think biometrics are an acceptable authentication method for banks and government agencies.
The biannual Unisys Security Index report says the most popular biometric format is fingerprinting, which 73% of those surveyed said they preferred. But among all authentication methods, passwords were most popular, being preferred by 72% of respondents.
Fingerprint scans were even more popular with older people and those in higher income groups. Seventy-six percent of people 35 to 64 years old said they approved of this format, as did 79% of people with annual salaries of $50,000 or more.
People were less interested in hand scanning, which 43% of respondents said they favored.
The survey also found that 60% of people have serious concerns about credit card fraud and 62% worry about the safety of their personal information.
Companies that use biometrics win "increased customer confidence regarding privacy issues," Mark Cohn, Unisys' vice president of enterprise security, said in a press release.
"Because U.S. consumer acceptance of biometric data for security verification is growing, mirroring trends we see around the world, we expect to see these technologies more broadly deployed in the future, from airport security checkpoints to online banks."
