Canadians trust their banks the most and utilities and online consumer sites the least when it comes to safeguarding personal information, according to a new survey conducted for BMO Financial Group.

The survey found that when asked whom they trusted the most with their personal information, 36% of respondents said banks, 27% cited their employers and 16% answered the government. Utilities and online consumer sites received the lowest scores on this question, with 2% and 1% of respondents choosing these categories, respectively.

The survey by Leger Marketing took place among 1,500 Canadian households between Feb. 18 and 24. A sample of this size will provide results that can be considered accurate for the population overall to within plus or minus 2.2% 19 times out of 20.

“The findings are consistent with our belief that trust is a key factor in securing and building lasting client relationships,” said Dina Palozzi, chief privacy officer, BMO Financial Group and Executive Vice-President, client relations, BMO Nesbitt Burns. “In any business, privacy of personal information is important; in banking, it is essential. We take our responsibility to respect and protect the privacy and confidentiality of our clients’ personal information very seriously.”

BMO said according to the survey, 77% of respondents said they like and trust their banks with their money and personal information. The survey also found that 42% of respondents believed that banks do a better job responding to customer complaints compared to other companies such as retail centers (ranked second at 27%) and telephone companies (ranked third at 8%).

“Being treated with dignity was clearly key to most consumers in the complaints-handling process,” the bank said in a statement. “Respondents said they were most concerned with having their complaints being listened to (29%) and taken seriously (27%) versus having complaints resolved in their favour (8%).