According to new research executed by OnePoll, the average American has been locked out of 10 online accounts in the past month alone. This is a long-standing trend that isn’t getting better despite digital risks on the rise.
At LastPass, we commissioned a survey of 2,005 Americans to gauge their feelings toward passwords and to see how this impacts their password habits on a daily basis.
With people now spending more time online than ever before — between work, school, and connecting with family and friends — a new range of digital challenges arises. Taking control of your increasingly digital life starts with proper password hygiene.
Keeping your digital information safe, secure, and easily accessibly across all devices is easier than you think. With the right tools, you can stop wasting time getting locked out of your accounts, resetting and reusing weak passwords, and start to secure your information effectively and efficiently.
Forgetting & Resetting Passwords
For many, getting locked out of their accounts due to a forgotten password is an all-too-common occurrence. Given that 64% of survey respondents shared that they would avoid visiting certain websites or accounts where they’ve forgotten their password, people are now, more than ever, facing the phenomenon of “password anxiety”. Seven in 10 Americans feel like they have too many different passwords to remember, and the average respondent says they use the same password for six different accounts, spanning both work and personal. 68% say that even when creating passwords that they think are different, in reality, they’re still very similar. While using the same password across many different accounts may seem like the simplest option to avoid the dreaded process of forgetting and resetting your password, by leveraging unique passphrases across different accounts, you will better protect your digital presence.Access Anywhere
In today’s digital, remote world, people need to be able to access their passwords, data, and documents at any time, from any place. As we start to consider a post-COVID world, many people will likely remain in a hybrid environment, which will give them the opportunity to work from anywhere – including a combination of home and office. Because of this, people expect a seamless experience when it comes to jumping between their mobile and computer devices. To this point, 65% of respondents shared that they experience a moment of panic or anxiety when they realize their computer or mobile device doesn’t have a password stored for a website they want to log into. It’s no secret that cell phones are like a third arm to most people, and this is demonstrated by the 57% of survey respondents who said that if they ever lost their phone, they’d be locked out of most of their accounts. Using a premium password manager, like LastPass ensures that your data is backed up and synced across all devices, so you have access to your passwords and important data no matter where you are. Should your computer crash or your smartphone go missing, everything you’ve stored in LastPass is securely backed up. You can even log in to your account when you don’t have Internet access’ so that you’ll never be without the information you need.Password Reuse and Sharing
With the majority of Americans spending more time online working and virtually socializing, password sharing is an inevitable necessity. At a time when streaming leaders, like Netflix, are cracking down on password sharing among users in different households, nearly 80% of our respondents stated that they use six streaming services, but only 43% pay for three of those services themselves. While families, children and significant others, or even friends, the ability to share passwords across services helps us to stay connected. The majority of people surveyed (77%) agree that it would be beneficial to have a secure way to give a loved one access to their passwords, especially in case of emergency.Overcoming Password Forgetfulness
There’s no time like the present to get started improving your online security – and that starts with passwords. A password manager like LastPass offers peace of mind that your data is safe, and you won’t have to encounter the relatable pain point of resetting a password each time you forget it or log in from a new device. LastPass offers several packages ranging from a free, basic password management solution to a premium solution with added security features, along with family plans for those looking to extend those digital protections across their immediate network. Learn more about how LastPass can help simplify and secure your entire digital life.
