Do we really want to go cashless?

In this way, fraudsters not only steal money, they build up identity sketches. ID theft is possible at its current levels only because of our rising engagement with the digital world, including our use of cards.

Cash carries no information at all about its carrier. There's nothing for criminals to hijack.

For its part, MasterCard has a history of releasing studies promoting cashlessness. This is hardly surprising given that its product is in competition with cash.

Not long ago, MasterCard published a global study in which it rated various nations in the developed and developing world in terms of their openness to cashless economies.

That study, like the one cited above, was apparently based upon surveys conducted with samples of populations.

This is perfectly acceptable practice, provided that in interpreting the results, governments, businesses and consumers don't forget to factor in the vested interest of a survey's sponsor.

Using public surveys as a marketing tool is nothing new.

Cigarette manufacturers long used this technique to try to persuade us of the harmlessness of their product. Shampoo companies do it all the time, with their claims that x percent of x hundred people prefer their product.

With today's strict advertising codes, most of these studies will be run by reputable research groups.

However, the results of any survey can be shaped in part by the type and tone of the questions asked.

If a chain of questions is asked, a general direction can be suggested which leaves the respondent only one real option when it comes to the final and often conclusive question.

A very basic survey on attitudes to cashlessness might look something like this: