The Perception of Biometric Technology: A Survey

This paper outlines the perceptions of 391 individuals on issues relating to biometric technology. The results from this survey are broadly in line with other consumer perception surveys conducted in 2003 and 2005, despite the increase in numbers of applications and deployments that affect individuals. Noticeably, 25% of the respondents had not heard of biometrics. Those who had heard of biometrics expressed several concerns, including cleanliness of the devices, safety (with respect to iris and retinal identification), applications for which their biometrics were going to be used, and who would have access to their biometric information. Results demonstrated overwhelming support for biometrics applications involving law enforcement and obtaining passports, while applications involving time and attendance tracking and access to public schools ranked lowest on the list.