Questions You Shouldn't Ask Your Customers Consumers are very reluctant to reveal personal information, according to a new survey, so you may want to limit what you ask them - and make it clear what you plan to do with the data. A third of consumers are unwilling to trust any organization with their personal data, according to the survey conducted by Pitney Bowes. And the numbers get worse when it comes to issues like race, sex, religion or politics. 76% of respondents are unwilling to share their political persuasion 71% won't share their religious affiliation 54% won't tell you their ethnicity And 45% won't share their sexual preference Customers are only slightly more willing to give you their credit card and financial information. So if you're going to collect data, limit it to what you really need to know - and are likely to find out. And by all means, have a prominent privacy policy and stick to it. By being sensitive to your customers, they'll have a better experience, and they might be more willing to trust you in the future. Adapted from Business Is Failing the Trust-Factor Test at Baseline Magazine.