The use of QR codes to identify COVID-19 contacts and the role of data trust and data privacy

The aim of this paper is to provide an update on attitudes of the general public to data privacy during the COVID-19 period, as well as the factors associated with the use of QR codes and other government apps/web-sites for contact tracing purposes. We find that there has been a small decline in trust in institutions regarding data privacy since May 2020, with levels of trust still nonetheless above those reported pre-COVID. While there is a high level of self-reported use of QR codes, there are key socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic determinants of usage. Males, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, those born overseas in a non English speaking country, those with low levels of education and those outside of the most advantaged areas are all less likely to use check-in apps. When we control for these background characteristics there is a very large difference in use of check-in apps based on trust in institutions. Those Australians who are more trusting in institutions with regards to data privacy are, in general, more likely to always use check-in apps 54.2 per cent for low trust individuals compared to 68.5 per cent for high trust individuals.