Iris Powered by Generali released its second annual Identity & Cybersecurity Concerns Survey, revealing a disparity between consumer feelings of security and actual protection levels.

Conducted in March 2026, the study involved 1,015 US adults. It showed that while most felt secure online, few adhered to recommended cybersecurity practices or had access to necessary tools for adequate protection.

The survey indicated that 84% of respondents believed they were secure when using internet-connected devices. However, only 29% stated that they followed all advised security measures. High concern over specific threats persisted: 64% were deeply worried about their personal devices being hacked, 63% had concerns about password breaches, and 57% feared falling victim to scams. Meanwhile, among parents, 72% reported high levels of anxiety regarding their children being cyberbullied, while 50% shared similar worries about the theft of their home’s title or deed.

AI-related threats also caused distress, with 73% of respondents expressing extreme or very significant concerns about AI misuse. Nonetheless, only 9% reported direct experiences with AI-driven scams, indicating a gap between perceived and actual risks.

Fraud and scam exposure remained widespread. More than two-thirds (69%) of Americans had encountered some type of scam in the past year, and one out of every four adults (26%) became victims, with 8% targeted multiple times. Phone call scams were most frequently reported (36%), followed by phishing emails (31%), phishing text messages (29%), and social media scams (27%).

Impact of Identity Theft and Fraud

For those who had experienced fraud or identity theft in the past two years, the consequences were significant. Over a third (36%) spent several days resolving the issue, while 12% had yet to resolve it by survey time. Seven out of ten identity theft victims (70%) reported financial losses, with 32% losing over USD 500, including 7% who lost more than USD 5,000.

Declining Access to Protection Tools

Despite increasing exposure to cyber threats, access to identity and cybersecurity tools decreased from the previous year. Fewer than half of respondents (44%) said they had credit monitoring services or password managers. For other services such as a virtual private network (VPN), dark web monitoring, fraud resolution services, and scam analysis support, access rates were even lower: 28%, 23%, 17%, and 14% respectively. Additionally, the proportion of Americans with no identity protection tools rose from 18% in 2025 to 22% in 2026.

The survey also highlighted a strong demand for integrated delivery of these protection tools. Eighty percent (80%) of respondents said they would use identity protection tools if they were seamlessly embedded within apps they already used. Consumers preferred integrated digital experiences (38%) over standalone websites or apps (18%).