Portuguese Concerns and Impact on Behaviour About Cybersecurity: A Comparison with the European Average

Abstract

The advancement of the Internet has great potential for the well-being of citizens and business growth, but this new paradigm also entails cybersecurity challenges that can have high economic impacts. The growth of Internet use is also leading to a general increase in cybercrime concerns as well as the number of users’ victims of this permanent threat. This reality is also very present in Portugal as well as in other European countries. In this context, it is important to know some indicators associated with cybersecurity, to take the best measures/actions in a reasoned way, and to combat this phenomenon. This article presents the results of a study carried out in 2019 by the European Commission, whose analysis helps to understand the Portuguese positioning in the concerns and attitudes about cybercrime, to the average of the European Community citizens. Analysing this study, it was possible to perceive that the Portuguese’s concerns about cybercrime are in line with the average of the European citizens, although the percentage of Portuguese that takes attitudes and actions to combat cyber-threats is a little bit above the average recorded by citizens of European countries.