34% of people believe all websites are dangerous.

This is news that, depending on how you look at it, can be either good or bad. First, however, let’s take a look at the background information.

German IT security firm Avira did a survey based on a worldwide customer base of over 100 million people. The question? “Where do you suspect is the greatest danger of malware infection on the Internet?” The responses might surprise you:

13% – Browser games (Poker, etc.) are really popular – the danger here is very high

22% – Visitors are exposed to such dangers especially on websites with pornographic content

27% – So-called Warez sites, which offer illegal software, are extremely dangerous

4% – Big portals are particularly vulnerable, due to their popularity

34% – When it comes to security, all websites are equally dangerous, all over the Internet

Most interesting, to us, is the final statistic. What it says, in essence, is that 34% of people who visit The Next Web (or any other site, for that matter) believe that it could host malware. While modern browsers and anti-malware software do an admirable job of preventing infections, it is still staggering to see that figure.

Why does the belief exist, though? Is it because people are more acutely aware of malware’s ability to be embedded into seemingly innocuous content (Flash, scripts, etc)? Or has the public been led to believe that the Internet as a whole is a hotbed of malware activity, thus breeding a culture of fear?

We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave them in the comments, eh?