A large majority of Australians say they are more concerned about privacy than they were five years ago, according to a new survey released by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
The OAIC’s Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey (ACAPS) 2026 found 87% of respondents reported higher privacy concern compared with five years earlier. The survey is conducted every three years and is intended to track community attitudes and experiences, including the impact of major events on perceptions of privacy.
The report also found low levels of trust in emerging technology providers. Just 4% of respondents said AI companies are worthy of their trust, and 3% reported trust in social media. The OAIC said trust has also fallen across insurance, telecommunications, technology, retail and real estate sectors, while remaining highest for health service providers (74%) and Australian Government agencies (68%).
Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind launched the report at the Data Privacy & Consumer Protection Summit 2026. “Australians’ expectations about privacy continue to sharpen as the information ecosystem becomes more complex, data-intensive and difficult to navigate,” Kind said.
Kind linked the findings to the OAIC’s complaint workload. “The survey’s findings mirror the rise in privacy complaints received by the OAIC – which have increased by 73% this financial year to date,” she said, adding that the OAIC’s efforts had led to “speedier complaint timeframes” but that community concern continued to increase.
On digital services, the survey found that 68% of Australians would be more likely to use services requiring personal information if they knew their data was handled fairly and responsibly. It also found broad conditional acceptance of data collection, with 92% saying collection can be acceptable under certain conditions, including where the purpose is clear (69%), consent or opt-in is available (68%), and collection is limited to what is necessary (66%).
The survey points to concerns about fairness and redress when privacy expectations are not met. Only one in ten respondents said organisations’ real-world practices are usually fair, while 35% said they are mostly or always unfair. Almost three in ten (29%) said none of the listed sectors handle privacy complaints fairly and effectively.
According to Kind, the report indicates expectations for transparency about privacy rights and how information is used. “Australians want greater transparency, more proportionate collection of personal information, and a fairer go when using digital services,” she said.
