The Survey Room
A collection of password management and security related surveys spanning individuals and businesses
You can learn a lot from data, which is why Bitwarden regularly conducts original, third-party survey research. The data in these surveys represents the opinions of IT decision makers, internet users across the globe, and the Bitwarden community. It also includes grade-based evaluations of federal agencies and businesses from the Bitwarden team.
Topics explored range from enterprise password management preferences to the state of password security among U.S. federal agencies and cybersecurity agencies around the world to the security-friendliness of U.S. social media company password systems.
We encourage you to take your time and read through the blogs, full result reports, and where applicable, presentations. Future surveys and reports will be reflected on this page.
2024
In the inaugural study, Decoding Tomorrow: Developer Secrets, Security and the Future of Passkeys, Bitwarden surveyed more than 600 developers to understand how they perceive and implement security best practices. The survey also polled attitudes and adoption practices related to IT security technologies and trends, including passwordless authentication, secrets management, and the cybersecurity risks associated with the rise of generative AI.
Key findings:
Most (78%) developers identify AI as a security risk, yet they continue to input sensitive credential, financial, and health data into generative AI platforms like ChatGPT.
Almost all (91%) developers undergo security training annually, yet over a fifth (21%) engage in risky behavior, such as using public computers to access work data and networks.
Close to two-thirds (60%) of developers manage 100 or more secrets; practices like hard-coding secrets in source code (65%) and keeping secrets in clear text (55%) prevail.
More than two-thirds (68%) of developers have used passkeys for work applications, yet only 36% believe FIDO2 and passkeys could replace passwords.
Over half (55%) of developers spend 5 to 15 hours each week just managing secrets, showing a clear need for solutions to cut down this time.
Check out the resource page or download the slide deck for a more in-depth analysis of the survey results.
“The 2024 developer survey highlights a move towards modern authentication like passkeys in work applications. However, it also shows risky practices continue despite regular security training.
This data underscores the industry-wide challenge of translating security awareness into action.
It's clear there's a need for accessible tools to help the developer community and organizations manage secrets securely, enforce strong authentication, and handle the risks of AI, while keeping innovation on track.”
To gain insights into secrets management practices, challenges, and concerns, Bitwarden surveyed over 100 developers. The poll revealed a rapidly growing need for a secure secrets management solution to help protect privileged credentials, streamline operations, and prevent data breaches.
Slide 8, Developer Secrets Management Poll
Key findings:
Nearly a quarter (24%) of developers operate without any secrets management solution
The vast majority of respondents (81%) report spending 1-5 hours every week managing developer secrets, with 15% spending 5-25 hours
Check out the resource page or download the slide deck to view the full results.
"Nearly half of those who don’t currently use a secrets manager plan to do so, with 35% noting they have not yet done so due to a lack of time and 4% citing difficulty of use and a high learning curve as the primary blocker."
The research and advisory firm 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, commissioned a global survey of IT decision makers in 2022 to understand enterprise password management preferences and adoption trends. The study focused on midsize to large enterprises with more than 1,000 employees; 27% of respondents work for organizations with more than 10,000 employees.
Key findings:
57% of respondents used password management and another 15% said they would be adopting password management
Almost all (93%) said they were maintaining or increasing their password management budgets
Check out the full results, or read the overview and blog for more details.
Did you know?
Remote work has made password management the most popular security technology, ahead of email security and remote access solutions.
“About two in five (41%) respondents said they do not audit for password strength or reuse."
In 2023, Bitwarden research assessed the state of password security among U.S. federal agencies. Bitwarden devised a Password Security Ratings System, which ranked agencies along a spectrum.
The State of Password Security: How federal agencies are addressing password security
Check out the resource page or view the presentation for more information.
"There are many within the federal government who have a solid educational approach to
password security, and there are others that might need a bit of assistance to modernize."
2023
The third annual Bitwarden 2023 Password Decisions Survey polled independent IT decision-makers across a range of industries who play a key role in enterprise purchasing decisions. Findings showed that security concerns are influencing business decisions.
Slide 7, 2023 Password Decisions Survey
Key findings:
49% of respondents are deploying or have plans to deploy passwordless technology
A large majority (79%) of IT decision makers want their employer to require employees to use the same password manager across the organization
60% report their organization experienced a cyberattack within the past year
Check out the full results or read the blog for a more in-depth analysis of the survey results.
“Our survey shows businesses are looking beyond passwords and desire new technologies that reflect passwordless workflows, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. While strong and unique passwords are highly effective at safeguarding data, weak or re-used passwords that are not managed by an end-to-end encrypted password manager present serious vulnerabilities. The Bitwarden approach takes into account this evolution but also reflects that adoption timelines vary by company, technology, and end-user preference and that security remains the paramount goal for individuals and enterprises alike.”
2022
The second annual Bitwarden 2022 Password Decisions Survey polling 400 IT decision makers in the U.S. found that passwords had gone mainstream - but overall password practices reveal security vulnerabilities.
Slide 6, Password Decisions Survey 2022
Key findings:
86% report password managers are being used within their organization
Almost all (92%) reuse passwords across multiple sites
Check out the full results and read the blog for details.
Did you know?
A surprising 42% of IT decision makers still rely on memory to manage passwords.
"Nearly half (41%) of respondents share passwords over chat and 31% share passwords in conversation."
2021
In the midst of the remote work transformation, the Bitwarden 2021 Passwords Decisions Survey polled 400 U.S.-based IT decision makers about their password preferences and the challenges and opportunities of security best practices.
Slide 9, Password Decisions Survey 2021
Key findings:
77 percent are using documents, spreadsheets, or a notepad to keep track of passwords
80 percent want their employers to mandate the practice of using a password manager
Check out the full results and blog.
"Contrary to what some may guess, 80 percent want their employers to mandate the practice of using a password manager. The Post-It note approach may be fading in popularity as 75 percent of respondents say employers already do require this."
2023
For the third annual World Password Day Survey, Bitwarden surveyed over 2,000 internet users globally (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, and Japan) on their password security practices. Additionally, the 2023 survey included questions about passwordless technology.
Slide 7, World Password Day 2023 Survey
Key findings:
56% are excited about passwordless authentication options such as biometrics, passkeys, or security keys
Best practices are still diluted by bad habits, with 85% reusing passwords across multiple sites and 58% relying on memory for their passwords
52% use easily identifiable information in their passwords, such as company/brand names, well-known song lyrics, pet names, and names of loved ones
Check out the full results and resource page.
"19% of respondents have used the word ‘password’ (or another common variation of the word) as their password. A simple way to eliminate this risk? Put that energy into creating a strong and unique master password and let your password manager do the remaining password creation work."
2022
Coinciding with World Password Day, Bitwarden again conducted a global survey of internet users to understand the state of password management. The survey polled over 2,000 respondents in five countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Australia.
Slide 22, World Password Day 2022 Survey
Key findings:
Almost one fifth (21%) reset their passwords every day or multiple times a week
A majority (84%) reuse passwords across more than 1 site
Check out the full results or read the blog.
"Almost all (90%) of global respondents are ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ familiar with password security best practices - but does being familiar mean putting into practice? Not quite."
2021
Leading up to World Password Day 2021, Bitwarden conducted a global survey of internet users to understand the state of password management. The survey polled over 1600 respondents in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia.
Slide 7, World Password Day Survey 2021
Key findings:
A quarter (24%) have been affected by a data breach in the last 18 months
The majority (59%) rely on their memory to remember passwords
Check out the full results and blog.
Did you know?
In the United States, 33% of respondents said that they had been affected by a data breach in the last 18 months - which is the highest percentage of all countries polled.
"To deliver password security to everyone, we recognize and believe that password management for individuals can and should be free. This belief is deeply rooted in our mission at Bitwarden to serve the global community with software that can help everyone take control of their digital identity."
2023
For the third annual Data Privacy Week survey, Bitwarden polled the Bitwarden community on its favorite privacy-centric tools. Over 2,700 users were surveyed.
Key findings:
Brave is catching up: this year Brave secured 40% of the vote for favorite secure browser, but Firefox remains the #1 pick with 45% of the vote
37% favor SimpleLogin as their favorite secure email alias, but there are several other popular options as well
Selected by 52%, DuckDuckGo is the most popular search engine
Check out the full results and read the blog for more information.
2022
For the second year in a row, Bitwarden polled the Bitwarden community on its favorite data privacy apps. Over 1,800 users were surveyed.
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Key findings:
63% favor ProtonMail as the privacy-first email provider of choice
In a sign of the times, 24% selected Jitsi as the #1 video conferencing tool
Check out the full results.
2021
Inspired by Data Privacy Day in 2021, Bitwarden polled the Bitwarden community about its favorite data privacy-oriented apps. Over 700 Bitwarden users were surveyed.
Slide 6, Data Privacy Day Survey 2021
Key findings:
Firefox rules: an overwhelming 49% chose Firefox as their favorite browser, with Brave second at 19%
Selected by 60%, Signal is #1 messaging app
Check out the full results.
"Data Privacy Day is an international effort that takes place every year on January 28th. The goal is to inspire dialogue and empower individuals and companies to respect privacy, safeguard data, and enable trust."
Social Media Edition
Relying on an end user research-driven approach, Bitwarden research evaluated the security-friendliness of the top 5 (defined by number of users) U.S. social media company password systems. The assessment includes a grade for each of the platforms evaluated.
Check out the blog to see how the leading companies in the U.S. scored.
Banking Edition
Relying on the same end user research-driven approach, Bitwarden research evaluated the security-friendliness of the top 5 (ranked by assets held) U.S. banks. The assessment includes a grade for each of the top platforms evaluated.
Check out the blog to see how the leading banks in the U.S. scored.
E-Commerce Edition
Following the same end user research-driven approach, we recently explored e-commerce. We narrowed our research list to the top 5 e-commerce sites in the United States ranked by total web traffic, which we identified as Amazon; eBay; Walmart; Craigslist; and Etsy.
Check out the blog to see how the top e-commerce sites performed.
Streaming Services Edition
Following the same end user research-driven approach, we recently explored streaming services. So, how are streaming services enabling (or not) the password security postures of their customers?
Check out the blog to find out how the top streaming services scored.
Personal Email Services Edition
Nearly everyone uses a personal email service, which is why it’s particularly important that email services easily utilize strong and unique passwords. Is your personal email service password-friendly?
Check out the blog to find out how the most popular email services scored.
Health and Fitness Apps
Fitness app revenue skyrocketed between 2016 and 2021, no doubt in part due to pandemic-induced gym closures. But do fitness applications allow consumers to easily utilize strong and unique passwords?
Check out the blog to find out how the most popular health and fitness apps scored.
"Experts advise passwords be strong and unique, with strength being best determined by randomness and length (such as 14 characters or more) ... since 'Short passwords are far more susceptible to a brute force attack, where a computer or malicious software program goes through every 8-digit combination (or more) of characters until it finds a match.'"
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