Cookies - small pieces of information collected when browsing the web have both good and bad sides. I have thorough that the second side is not known by the users. A study by Jupiter Research (not available to public, you need to be their client) reported by zdnet shows that I may be wrong.
It says that 58 percent of users have deleted cookies and 39 percent may do it monthly (I wonder what does may mean here). What's more, 38 percent think that cookies are bad for their security and privacy.
If the results are true (I don't know how many users were asked etc.), they make all cookie-based methods of user tracking much less valuable.
The easiest way to get rid of cookies is to block them. I use this method and have my browser set to always ask me when a new cookie comes. I usually click Reject. How many users have settings similar to mine? Polish site ranking.pl says that only 3 percent blocks cookies. But the site that collects the data is on the popular lists of filters for Adblock
I don't know what to think about the result, especially when comparing the two. I'm waiting for new surveys, maybe they'll be able to make things clearer.