(2025). Digital Consumer Law, Competition and the (Un-)Informed Consumer: Evidence from a Survey among German ConsumersMax Planck Institute for Innovation & Competition Research Paper No. 25-06.
We report the results of a representative population survey in Germany, evaluating public knowledge of two recent European regulations: the Second Payment Services Directive (mandating data portability in banking) and the Digital Content Directive (obligating sellers to provide software updates). Respondents were asked to assess two everyday scenarios: whether banks must share account data with a new bank upon request and whether laptop sellers must provide the latest security updates. Our findings reveal significant knowledge gaps: fewer than 50% of respondents answered any question correctly. This lack of awareness extends beyond individual consumer welfare, indicating that well-intentioned regulations may fail to achieve their goals if consumers are unaware of their rights. To address this challenge, we recommend implementing targeted, accessible education campaigns to accompany new regulations in competition and consumer protection domains.
