New research has revealed that a significant proportion of the population are not prepared to download the NHS Coronavirus contact tracing app – with half of respondents knowing at least one person who does not have the necessary technology.

Cyber security firm Anomali commissioned Censuswide to interview 1,000 people across the UK, finding that almost a third (29 per cent) would refuse to download the app, with a further 27 per cent on the fence.

Among them, over a third (36 per cent) were worried that the app would allow the government to collect data on them, and almost half (48 per cent) cited their lack of trust in the government to safeguard the information from cyber criminals.

“The rule of critical mass demands that at least 60 per cent of the population utilises the app in order for it to be effective, however these findings point to a significantly diminished pool of users and thus, the critical mass fundamental to the app’s performance now hangs in the balance,” said Jamie Stone, head of EMEA at Anomali.

“Moreover, many of the individuals without the necessary technology likely come from an older generation, or from low-income backgrounds. In this way, excluding the most vulnerable of society from any benefits this app might bring.”

The findings reinforce the trend of low participation in the recent pilot of the app, which launched in the Isle of Wight on 5 May. The initial test only saw 40 per cent of the island’s residents downloaded the app, many of whom also faced technical difficulties.

Low participation has been witnessed across the globe, particularly where governments run optional schemes. For instance, just three per cent of the population in North Dakota - or 25,000 people - downloaded their state’s contact-tracing app.

In Singapore and Norway, only 20 per cent and 30 per cent of their respective populations downloaded the app. This stands in contrast to China, where residents of more than 200 cities do not have a choice in the matter.

However, despite the lack of engagement in the UK, more than half of respondents (51 per cent) believe that the app will be either somewhat or very effective in controlling COVID-19.

In fact, over a third of respondents (39 per cent) agreed that downloading the contact tracing app should be made obligatory.

Separately, a survey of 1,716 British Computer Society (BCS) members conducted last week found that only 24 per cent believe the contact tracing app will contribute to curbing the virus, with 32 per cent feeling it will make no contribution and 45 per cent undecided.

Some 42 percent of its IT experts said they would be downloading the app for themselves, with 36 per cent saying they would not install it and 21 per cent undecided.

Members told the organisation that data security and privacy were their top concerns, followed by doubts around the app’s ability to work effectively, and then trust in the government.

Just over half of professionals (51 per cent) said the government should switch to the decentralised Google and Apple model of storing records. Only 23 per cent favoured the planned centralised model designed into the app currently.

Bill Mitchell, director of policy at BCS, said: “BCS is clear that if done ethically and competently a tracing app can make a huge contribution to stopping the spread of COVID-19; but a majority of our members don’t believe the current model will work and are worried about the reliance on a centralised database.

“The government will need to work hard to convince people that ‘ethical by design, correct by design, and privacy by default’ values are baked into the app to get the download numbers it is aiming for.”

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