According to the Unisys Security Index US report for the first half of 2010, the primary security concern among Americans remains national security, including the threats of terrorism and the potential for health epidemics. Numbers from the latest Unisys index show that 65% of Americans are either “very” or “extremely concerned” about these issues.

Coming in a very close second in the security index was Americans’ fear of identity theft. With 65% of those surveyed claiming to be “seriously concerned” about the possibility of unauthorized access or misuse of their personal information, Unisys noted a shift in attitudes from “very” to “extremely” concerned since its last index survey. Nevertheless, the issue of identity theft has been high on the totem pole of security concerns since the company began the survey in 2007.

In addition, the latest index report from the IT vendor shows that 62% were “seriously concerned” about the security of their bank card details. In a similar vein, the percentage (45%) of Americans who are worried about computer and internet security issues has risen since Unisys first began tracking the index.

As the report notes, there is a paradox in the study’s findings, as 29% said they were not concerned about internet security, a proportion that has also increased since the company’s last survey. “The proportion not concerned is roughly the same as the proportion of Americans who do not use the Internet”, said the report, “suggesting that most Internet users are concerned about this issue”.

With near-identical numbers, the proportion of surveyed respondents who indicated they were “seriously concerned” about the security of online banking or commerce came in at 43%, whereas 29% indicated no apprehension whatsoever about the practice. Again, as the Unisys report commented, the 29% who were not concerned about the security of online banking and shopping are likely those who do neither via the internet.