Americans Avoid Sites After Forgetting Passwords

Nearly two-thirds of Americans avoid using websites or accounts for which they have forgotten their password, according to new research published today by LastPass.

The password manager and Vault app maker commissioned OnePoll to survey 2,005 Americans about their password habits. 

According to LastPass, the results show that the “long-standing trend of poor password behavior persists despite increasing risks online.” 

Almost two-thirds (64%) of survey respondents admitted that they would avoid visiting certain websites or accounts where they’ve forgotten their password. 

Over half (57%) said that if their phone was lost, broken, or stolen, they’d be locked out of most of their accounts. 

The survey identified that the majority of Americans have suffered from password-related anxiety, with 65% of respondents reporting that they have experienced a moment of panic when they realized their computer or mobile device didn’t have a password stored for a website that they wanted to log into. 

Managing multiple passwords proved to be a challenge for many Americans, with seven in ten saying that they have too many different passwords to remember. To make password management easier on their memories, Americans use the same password across a range of accounts. 

The average survey respondent said that they use the same password for six different accounts, including personal and work-related accounts. Most (68%) reported trying to create passwords that were different from one another but ending up with multiple passwords that were actually very similar.

“While using the same password across many different accounts may seem like the simplest option to avoid the dreaded process of forgetting and resetting your password, by leveraging unique passphrases across different accounts, you will better protect your digital presence,” said a LastPass spokesperson. 

The survey revealed that respondents were happy to share streaming services (along with their passwords). Nearly 80% stated that they use six different streaming services, but only 43% pay for three of those services themselves.

Over three-quarters of those surveyed (77%) said that it would be beneficial to have a secure way to give a trusted loved one access to their passwords, especially in case of emergency.