Handy Recovery Advisor, a resource for data recovery tips and digital safety advice, has published the results of a nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.
The report highlights how everyday users deal with data loss and how most don’t take action until it’s too late. It also claims that Mac users are at greater risk than Windows users, which I don’t believe.
According to the study, 71% of Americans have lost data at least once. The two biggest culprits were found to be accidental deletion (34%) and hardware failure (30%). Together, they account for nearly two-thirds of all incidents.
“Data loss isn’t a problem exclusive to businesses,” said Andrii Yasko, content strategist for Handy Recovery Advisor. “It happens in regular households every day. Our goal with this survey was to understand what people actually do in situations like this, what really works for them, and how these experiences shape their data habits going forward.”
The Handy Recovery Advisor says that while many people see Apple devices as more dependable, the survey actually found that Mac users are 30% more likely to experience data loss than Windows users.
“Only 16.38% of Mac users in our survey said they’ve never lost data. For Windows users, that number was noticeably higher – 23.26%,” according to Handy Recovery Advisor. “It doesn’t mean Macs are worse, but it does suggest that assumptions about built-in safety nets like Time Machine or iCloud might lead to a false sense of security.”
However, as Macworld points out, Macs are generally safer than PCs partly because macOS is Unix-based and more difficult to exploit. It’s also because Apple has such tight control over the hardware and software, and Macs are safer due to the various protections and security measures built into the Mac and the Mac operating system that makes Macs more difficult to exploit.
The survey also revealed a clear connection between cloud adoption and data resilience. Nearly 60% of users who have never experienced data loss reported actively using cloud storage for their files.
According to the survey, when data loss happens, most people rely on themselves. Sixty percent of successful recoveries were done without professional help. Of those who tried the DIY route, nearly 79% got their files back. Other key points from the study:
° While 92% of respondents said they’re aware that data recovery is possible, only 28% have ever used recovery software.
° About 33% said they’d pay for professional recovery – but only if the lost data was truly important.
° Users with higher tech proficiency reported more data loss overall.
You can find the report here.
Methodology
The survey was conducted through the Pollfish platform on June 24, 2025, and gathered responses from 1,000 U.S. adults across a broad range of states and age groups (18 to 75).
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