Even with a renewed focus on paying down debt, Americans have been increasingly inclined to use their credit cards for online purchases in recent years.

However, a recent poll indicates that many consumers are still apprehensive about the threat of identity theft when it comes to shopping online. The Rasmussen survey found that 49 percent of adults consider themselves “somewhat” comfortable when it comes to online purchases, which was said to be down 11 percentage points in the past year. Also, 47 percent said they were not comfortable with online credit card transactions.

The polling company noted that people who use the internet on a daily basis are more likely to be comfortable with online credit card use.

In other findings, 12 percent of respondents said that they had had credit card data stolen online, while 16 percent reported that they had been victims of identity theft. A total of 46 percent called themselves very concerned about identity theft in general.

Despite the findings, separate statistics from the latest holiday shopping season have found that consumers were more inclined than ever to buy presents online, although some of this may have been due to severe winter weather in the final days before Christmas.

Personal finance experts have also long pointed out that while it’s important to safeguard one’s financial data online, people can fall victim to identity thieves who use traditional methods like going through trash for financial statements. When it comes to online shopping, a good way to stay secure is to shop only at reputable, well-established retail outlets while also ensuring that transactions are processed over a secure connection. This can be determined by checking for a padlock symbol on the bottom of one’s web browser.

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