Security expert Avira announced today the results of its latest research survey. With holiday shopping in full swing, Avira wanted to know if concerns about online shopping safety were increasing or subsiding. So Avira re-ran a set of survey questions from 2011 to compare year-over-year results.

The conclusions? Consumer attitudes toward online fraud and shopping risk have changed significantly in two areas:

• Nearly everyone is now aware that online fraud can and does happen
• Reactionary fear of online shopping has now morphed into a sober, calculated risk

The largest change in survey results between 2011 and 2012 was a 23 percent increase in the number of people who feel comfortable shopping online so long as the payment system is secure. The next largest change was a 10 percent decrease in the number of people who deny that there is much fraud going on – more than 95 percent now realize that online fraud is a reality.

"Consumers have largely embraced online and mobile shopping, and the stereotypical Luddite who refuses to shop online at all hardly exists anymore," said Travis Witteveen, COO of Avira. "What we are seeing this year is an educated consumer who is aware that online fraud can happen, but they are careful about which sites they shop and they look for evidence of secure payment features. They are willing to take a calculated and controlled risk."

The survey question and multiple-choice answers were presented randomly to Avira’s website visitors during July of 2011 and again during September of 2012:

About Avira

Avira wants its customers to ‘live free’ from spyware, phishing, viruses and other internet-based threats. The company was founded 25 years ago on Tjark Auerbach's promise to "make software that does good things for my friends and family." More than 100 million consumers and small businesses now depend upon Avira’s security expertise and award-winning antivirus software, making the company the number-two market share leader globally. Avira provides IT-security protection to computers, smartphones, servers and networks, delivered as both software and cloud-based services.

In addition to protecting the online world, Avira's CEO promotes well-being in the offline world through the Auerbach Foundation, which supports charitable and social projects. The philosophy of the foundation is to help people to help themselves.

For more information, please visit www.avira.com or join the community at www.facebook.com/avira.