LIFELINE IT STUDY SHOWS TECH TRENDS OF 2020

New research by Lifeline IT has revealed consumer concerns around the environmental impact of technology, security and data protection.

In this week’s blog, we launch the findings of our IT Trends Report – a comprehensive study to ascertain people’s attitudes towards technology as it continues to be an ever-important part of our lives, especially since the start of the COVID pandemic in March.

Now in its 10th year, the annual report is based on an independent survey of 1000 people across the UK to gain an understanding of the key IT issues of the day.

One of the strong themes to emerge from the study is concerns over damage to the environment from the constant upgrading of tech consumables. More than a third of those polled admitted they were frequent ‘upgraders’ of devices such as iPhones and tablets, despite expressing concerns about the long-term green impact.

There has been a huge increase in home working over these last few months, however our results show that security is a problem, with many admitting they aren’t confident in their at-home IT security. Worryingly, data protection is another area where people feel at risk. Despite the much-vaunted GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) rules of 2018, those surveyed said they do not feel they are better protected.

A new sector that we looked at in this year’s report was the growing rise in IT subscriptions, such as Cloud storage and Adobe software – which are an integral part of how consumers and businesses operate. Our findings reveal that many feel these services are becoming increasingly costly compared to just a year ago.

The report’s key findings reveal:

• 49% aren’t confident they have the same security in place as they do in their place of work, despite more people now working from home.
• 73% are unsure if companies and organisations are looking after their data in a way that is GDPR compliant.
• 45% are more reliant on IT tech subscription services than they were 12 months ago.
• 59% are concerned about the environmental impact of frequent upgrading of tech products such as smartphones.
• 71% are unsure if their old smartphone, tablet or laptop are properly recycled when they trade-up to a new model.
• 77% think wearable devices, such as Apple watches and branded headphones, have now become more of a fashion accessory.

You can download a full copy of the report: