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Interest in using technology to improve quality of life countered by concerns over cost, privacy and reliability

Downers Grove, Ill. – A net six in ten Americans say they’d be interested in being a smart city resident, though they admit limited knowledge about what that entails and have concerns about tradeoffs in government services, according to a new study released today by CompTIA, the world’s leading technology association.

The CompTIA report “Building Smarter Cities and Communities” surveyed 1,000 U.S. households and 350 U.S government officials on their awareness and interest in the concept of smart communities. The report also examines what it will take to move beyond pilots, tests and trials to full-scale systems that deliver benefits to both the municipality and its citizens.

The report identifies four factors that will shape the future direction of smart cities.

• Elevating the understanding of smart city concepts will take time, but “bridge technologies” – smart technologies for the home and office – can help.
• Making the leap from digital to smart requires advancements on many fronts, from technology and broadband infrastructures to workflow and user experience.
• Data is critical to smart city success, and one of the most challenging components to get right.
• Ensuring smart cities are cyber-safe will require resources and a commitment to shared responsibilities for cybersecurity.

“In concept and theory, smart city solutions can streamline the delivery of government services, improve transportation options, optimize resource management, and deliver other outcomes that make the quality of living better,” said Tim Herbert, senior vice president, research and market intelligence, CompTIA.

“But significant practical obstacles remain – funding, privacy and technology integration,” Herbert continued. “Those factors and others make it likely that the move to smart communities will happen in measured steps, not great leaps.”

The View from the Citizenry

Citizens overwhelmingly rank public safety as their top priority for smart cities, followed by quality of life. But as use cases are presented individually, priorities become less clear and more expansive, with more emphasis on quality of life, infrastructure and transportation.

The survey reveals key differences when evaluating data at the city-size level. Citizens in large cities place a higher priority on smart transportation than their counterparts in smaller towns and rural areas. Smaller communities indicate a greater interest in enhanced e-government services, smart water management systems and smart grids and energy management.

“One of the important outcomes to watch is whether smart cities initiatives widen or narrow the technology gap that exists between urban and rural America,” Herbert noted.

Concerns over funding and competing budget priorities lead the list of citizens’ concerns about smart city solutions. Worries about cybersecurity and privacy ranked as the second biggest concern, followed by the reliability of the technology.

When presented with several financial tradeoff scenarios to make smart cities happen survey respondents were mixed in their views. Nearly 40 percent say they’d be willing to shift budget from government staff raises to a smart city initiative. Asked if they would forgo new police or fire vehicles in favor of a smart city project, 27 percent responded in the affirmative.

Opinions on tradeoffs varied by household income level. For example, 46 percent of respondents with household incomes above $100,000 say they’d probably support shifting money earmarked for publicly-funded art to a smart city project. Just 30 percent of individuals from households with less than $100,000 in annual income said they’d be willing to do so.

Surveys for “Building Smarter Cities and Communities” were conducted in September. The complete report is available at https://www.comptia.org/resources/building-smarter-cities-and-communities.

CompTIA: Building the Foundation for Technology's Future

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world's leading technology association, with approximately 2,000 member companies, 3,000 academic and training partners, over 100,000 registered users and more than two million IT certifications issued. CompTIA's unparalleled range of programs foster workforce skills development and generate critical knowledge and insight – building the foundation for technology’s future. Visit CompTIA online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to learn more. 

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
sostrowski@comptia.org­
630-678-8468