Research on the privacy concept of higher education groups in China under the COVID-19 epidemic situation

Figures & data

Table 1. Sample demographics

Item	Demographic variables	Number (unit: people)	Percentage (%)
Gender	Male	249	52.98
	Female	221	47.02
	Total	470	100.00
Age	Under 18 years old	6	1.28
	18–24 years old	229	48.72
	25–29 years old	144	30.63
	30–34 years old	48	10.21
	35–39 years old	16	3.40
	40–44 years old	8	1.72
	45–49 years old	2	0.46
	50–54 years old	11	2.30
	55–59 years old	6	1.28
	Over 60 years old	0	0
	Total	470	100.00
Current residence area	Central region	181	38.51
	Eastern region	213	45.32
	Western region	76	16.17
	Total	470	100.00
Account type	City	292	62.13
	Countryside	178	37.87
	Total	470	100.00

Table 2. Individual privacy sensitivity of subjects

Dimension	N	Minimum	Maximum	Mean	Median	Std.Deviation
Sensitivity of individual privacy	470	1.0	7.0	4.32	5.0	1.31

Table 3. Views of exchange personal privacy for living convenience

Question	Views	Number (unit: people)	Percentage (%)
In the information society, some concession of personal privacy is required in exchange for living convenience	Feel worried that the privacy is being spied on.	312	66.38
	Without feeling.	80	17.02
	Feel happy and think that it facilitates one’s life.	70	14.89
	Didn’t notice this phenomenon.	8	1.70
	Total	470	100.00

Table 4. Views of personal data privacy after the outbreak of COVID-19

Question	Views	Number (unit: people)	Percentage (%)
Whether there is a change in the perception of personal data privacy after the outbreak of COVID-19	I am more convinced than ever that data is personal property, and privacy is everyone’s basic right.	149	31.70
	My view on personal data privacy has not changed much from that before the COVID-19 outbreak.	112	23.83
	Since the outbreak of COVID-19, I have not paid as much attention to personal privacy and data security as before.	14	2.98
	I think the COVID-19 outbreak is an unprecedented public security incident, and the privacy of personal data needs to be compromised to some extent.	195	41.49
	Total	470	100.00

Table 5. Views of delivering personal information to government for COVID-19 prevention and control

Question	Views	Number (unit: people)	Percentage (%)
The government needs citizens to provide certain personal information to facilitate the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic	Strongly disagree	6	1.28
	Not quite agree	6	1.28
	General	50	10.63
	Comparative agree	142	30.00
	Highly agree	266	56.81
	Total	470	100.00

Table 6. Privacy deliver willingness in the period of COVID-19 prevention and control

Dimension	N	Minimum	Maximum	Mean	Median	Std.Deviation
Willingness of delivering individual privacy information	470	1.0	7.0	5.03	5.0	1.80

Table 7. Factors of voluntarily providing personal privacy data to protect social public interests

Factors	Key Factors		Second Important Factors		General Factors
	No.1	No.2	No.3	No.4	No.5	No.6
Civil obligation	178	197	14	61	5	13
Government trust	143	187	50	74	8	8
Social responsibility	63	66	198	121	12	12
Public welfare	50	12	168	182	17	32
Conformity	14	4	24	22	292	119
Fear of punishment	22	4	16	10	136	286
Total	470	470	470	470	470	470

Table 8. Personal privacy security in COVID-19 prevention and control

Dimension	N	Minimum	Maximum	Mean	Median	Std.Deviation
Think the relevant departments can protect the public’s private information	470	1.0	7.0	3.98	4.0	1.69
Believe that the government can reasonably control the risk of public privacy disclosure	470	1.0	7.0	4.57	5.0	1.68
Think the current privacy collection policy can give personal privacy security	470	1.0	7.0	3.75	4.0	1.66

Table 9. Basic information about the potential influencing factors of individual privacy concept

Factor	Distribution	Number (unit: people)	Percentage (%)
Educational level	Junior college students	43	9.15
	Undergraduates	285	60.64
	Postgraduates	128	27.23
	Doctoral students	14	2.98
Discipline background	Liberal arts	206	43.83
	Science	264	56.17
Father’s educational level	Elementary students	62	13.19
	Junior school students	143	30.43
	High school students	127	27.02
	Junior college students	70	14.89
	Undergraduates	60	12.77
	Postgraduates	4	0.85
	Doctoral students	4	0.85
Mother’s educational level	Elementary students	88	18.72
	Junior school students	132	28.09
	High school students	120	25.53
	Junior college students	72	15.32
	Undergraduates	46	9.79
	Postgraduates	8	1.70
	Doctoral students	4	0.85

Table 10. Individual privacy sensitivity of subjects

	Educational level	Father’s education level	Mother’s education level	Discipline background
Sensitivity of individual privacy	−0.083	0.188**	0.243**	−0.59

Note: (*p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001)

Figure 1. Effects of educational level on individual privacy sensitivity.

Figure 2. Comparison of father’s educational level.

Figure 3. Effects of father’s educational level on individual privacy sensitivity.

Figure 4. Comparison of mother’s educational level.

Figure 5. Effects of mother’s educational level on individual privacy sensitivity.

Figure 6. Effects of father’s educational level on subject’s willingness to deliver private information.

Figure 7. Effects of mother’s educational level on subject’s willingness to deliver private information.

Figure 8. Comparison of subject’s discipline background.

Figure 9. Effects of discipline background on subject’s willingness to deliver private information.

Table 11. Factors on willingness to deliver private information

	Educational level	Father’s education level	Mother’s education level	Discipline background
Willingness to deliver private information	0.022	0.137**	0.141**	0.160**

Note: (*p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001)