October 12th, 2023, Lesley Simeon
Google has now introduced ‘passkeys’ in an effort to eliminate the need to remember passwords when logging into accounts on apps and websites. Consumers can now use the new feature to unlock their accounts using biometrics like a fingerprint or face scan.
But which unlocking method do consumers prefer when logging in to apps?
A recent YouGov survey asked consumers across 18 international markets about which unlocking methods they prefer to log in to website/mobile apps. In this piece, we discuss unlocking methods preferred to access social network apps.
Polling data shows that, across the markets surveyed, the most preferred methods to log in are manually entering passwords (24%) and biometric security such as face unlock and fingerprint scanner (22%). Just over two in ten (21%) prefer the ‘remember password’ feature which browsers offer.
At 5%, using an authentication app is the least preferred unlocking method among those surveyed. Receiving OTP or code via messages or emails isn’t too popular either - fewer than one in ten (8%) of consumers prefer this method.
By country, social network app unlocking methods preferred by consumers.
Biometric security is most popular in the UAE, with a third (33%) of all consumers here opting for this method to log in to social network website/mobile apps. On the other hand, the feature is the least popular in Germany (13%).
More than a quarter (29%) of consumers in Urban India prefer manually entering their passwords to log in, making them the most likely to do so across all markets we poll. Consumers in Germany (19%), Great Britain (20%) and the US (20%) are the least likely to manually enter passwords to log in.
The ‘remember password’ feature tops all other unlocking methods for consumers in Sweden (27%) followed closely by those in the US (26%). Urban India (14%) isn’t too keen on this feature though.
But at 13%, Urban India accounts for the largest share of consumers who prefer signing in to social network apps via OTPs or codes received via email or messaging (although compared to other unlocking methods, Urban India is least likely to opt for OTPs and codes). At 12%, UAE and Singapore aren’t too far behind. Conversely, consumers in Great Britain and the US (4% each) account for the lot that’s least likely to prefer OTPs and codes for unlocking.
Finally, authentication apps are most preferred in the UAE and Urban India (7% each) and least preferred in Great Britain and Germany (4% each).
Explore our living data - for free
Discover more media content here
Want to run your own research? Run a survey now
Make smarter business decisions with better intelligence. Understand exactly what your audience is thinking by leveraging our panel of 20 million+ members. Speak with us today.
Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 511 and 1,999 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in May 2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.