Consumers lean on VPNs to pursue online privacy

Key stat: 52% of US adults who use a VPN do so to protect their IP address, according to a February 2025 CNET and YouGov survey.

Beyond the chart:

• US adults most commonly use a VPN on their phones (51%) and personal computers (50%), according to a February 2025 CNET survey.
• More than three-quarters of consumers (77.1%) have used at least one privacy tool, according to a May 2024 EMARKETER survey.

Use this chart: Marketers can use this chart to consider how overrelying on the location-based data that VPNs block could give them misleading consumer insights.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• US Privacy Trends 2024 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Tech Trends to Watch in 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Note: Respondents were asked, "Why do you use a VPN? Select all that apply."

Methodology: Data is from the February 2025 CNET survey as cited in company blog conducted by YouGov. 2,429 US adults ages 18+ were surveyed online during February 3-5, 2025. 1,057 respondents have used a VPN. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults ages 18 and older.