Survey revealed most Canadians who ordered a DNA test did so to understand their history/ancestry. Source: Abacus Data.
For genealogists who have taken a DNA test and want more people to take one, there is good news in a survey on Canadians’ attitudes toward consumer DNA tests. On the less-than-positive side, Canadians are concerned about data privacy regarding their genetic test results, and this may be holding them back from testing.
In a poll conducted online with 1,500 Canadian residents, aged 18 and over, in August 2018, the Ottawa-based market research firm Abacus Data discovered one of the major concerns Canadians have about DNA tests is the security of their personal information.
I’ve been told anecdotally that Canadians who browse the DNA companies’ tables in the marketplace at genealogy conferences are more concerned about insurance companies accessing their personal information than a DNA test uncovering surprise biological relationships in their family tree.
Here are some of the highlights about the Abacus Data survey in the article, DIY Ancestry: Genetic Testing & Corporate Trust, by Ihor Korbabicz.
- About 11 percent of the adult population — about 3 million Canadians — reported having used a genetic test.
- Understanding history/ancestry is the reason seven of every 10 kit users ordered the test.
- Despite reservations about data privacy, about 60 percent of the adult population in Canada was open to ordering a home DNA kit, and 18 percent would like to do one or are actively looking into it. On the downside, most are in no hurry to take a test.
- About 40 percent of Canadians who have not taken a DNA test think companies on the receiving end of the data benefit more than consumers do. On the flip side, 40 percent of those who have taken a DNA test believe that the consumer benefits more than the company.
- Half are opposed to corporate use of the information, while a little less than half are comfortable enough with it.
The article concludes, “For companies handling sensitive data, similar lessons exist, ones presently being learned by a certain social network. A proactive and consistent story of how these services could contribute to a social net benefit would go a long way in making Canadians more comfortable about the prospect of taking one of these tests.”
While the survey indicates there is potential for growth in DNA tests in Canada, it is also clear consumer DNA companies must do more to ensure their data cannot be breached and to convince people it has achieved this.
