Survey Says…
To better understand researcher experiences with identity management and privacy, VeriMe ran a global survey and regional focus groups, gathering insights directly from researchers.
Key findings
Scholars prioritize research integrity and see identity verification as essential to public trust and career advancement. Over 90% reported having been asked to prove their identity in a research context, and 87% feel identity proofing is valuable. At the same time, 37% have had bad experiences, and half of respondents stopped using a research tool, service, or platform due to privacy concerns.
Where verification occurs
Over 80% of respondents encountered identity verification across research contexts — most commonly employment and hiring, research tool access, and authorship confirmation. Researchers want expanded verification for secure dataset access, authorship, peer review, and funding applications.
Methods and experience
Most researchers were asked to verify email or affiliation. Over half were asked for a government document in a research or scholarly context, and about a fifth had used biometrics or a liveness check. Roughly half rated verification as necessary or acceptable, while about a quarter found it frustrating or invasive.
Who responded
Respondents spanned the globe: just under half from North America, 22% from Asia Pacific, 15% from Europe, 9% from Central and South America, and 7% from the Middle East and Africa; 60% senior, 26% mid-career, and 15% early-career researchers. The survey ran on BlockSurvey, a privacy-focused platform that collected no identifying information.
Originally published at https://verime.coop/blog/survey-says