Under various circumstances, many Americans would share personal information or permit surveillance in return for getting something of perceived value, according to a recent report from the Pew Research Center.

The report was based on data from survey of 461 US adults as well as in-person interviews with nine online focus groups of 80 people. Participants were presented with six situations involving privacy tradeoffs, then asked for their reaction to each.

Most respondents (54%) say it is acceptable for employers to install monitoring cameras if there has been a series of workplace thefts, and nearly half (47%) are willing to let stores track their purchases via programs such as loyalty cards in exchange for occasional discounts.

However, most (55%) respondents say they do not feel comfortable allowing a company to install a "smart thermostat" in their home that would monitor their movements in exchange for a potentially lower energy bill.