Abstract
In today's digitally-driven landscape, data security is paramount as organizations, governments, and individuals increasingly rely on interconnected systems to manage sensitive information. While technical aspects of access control and authentication mechanisms have been extensively studied, the human dimension remains under-explored. This research investigates user perceptions, adoption patterns, and security consciousness regarding traditional and emerging authentication mechanisms through a comprehensive survey of 450 participants across diverse demographics. The study reveals significant gaps between perceived security and actual usage patterns, with password-based systems maintaining dominance (4.6/5 usage frequency) despite low security perceptions (2.5/5). Multi-factor authentication (MFA) shows strong security perception (4.2/5) but moderate adoption (3.4/5), primarily influenced by organizational size and IT proficiency. Emerging technologies like Al-driven access control and blockchain authentication show promising adoption willingness (3.5/5) but face significant privacy (3.8/5) and complexity (3.5/5) concerns. The research identifies critical human factors affecting security implementation success and provides evidence-based recommendations for designing more effective, user-centric security systems that balance security requirements with usability considerations.
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