Individual Cybersecurity Practices: Relationship with Socioeconomic Status and Risk Experience of Risk Exposure
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2026.2.3117Keywords:
digitalization risks, cybersecurity, risk mitigation practices, digitalization, digital divide, reflexive behaviorAbstract
The aim of this study is to identify factors related to the use of cybersecurity practices among the Russian population. The author considers factors such as socioeconomic status (gender, age, higher education, type of settlement, and financial situation) and experience of exposure to digital risk (the fact of being exposed to risks and declared concerns about online privacy). The empirical basis of the study is data from the Monitoring of the Digital Transformation of the Economy and Society, 2024 (N = 10038) conducted by Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) at HSE University. Cybersecurity practices were divided into two groups: instrumental — simple actions such as setting passwords and using biometric identification, and strategic — more complex actions such as managing access to data and adjusting security settings. The analysis showed that about one-fifth of the population does not use any protective practices at all, while about half combine simple and complex ones. At that, socioeconomic status has stronger relation to the choice of strategic practices in comparison with instrumental practices. In addition, concern about online privacy is significantly related only to complex practices. Experience of digital risks is a significant predictor of both simple and complex practices. The results suggest that reflective behavior in the digital environment is formed by individual experiences of risk, while the choice of strategies for protection depends on the amount of material and cultural resources. Therefore, reflectivity towards digital risks can be considered as one of the dimensions of social inequality.
Acknowledgments. This article is an output of a research project HSE-BR-2025-018 implemented as part of the Basic Research Program at HSE University.
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