As Congress and the states consider proposals aimed at reducing identity theft, a poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center reveals that an overwhelming majority of Americans want lawmakers to restrict the use and availability of Social Security numbers by businesses and government agencies.

According to the recent poll, some 89 percent of Americans agree that state and federal lawmakers should pass laws restricting the use of Social Security numbers. Americans are routinely asked for Social Security numbers by businesses and government agencies, a practice that fuels concerns about identity theft.

Social Security numbers are particularly sensitive information because they can provide the key to unlocking a consumer's financial identity. According to experts from Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, the widespread use of Social Security numbers has made it easier for crooks to commit fraud and contributes to the 10 million cases of identity theft every year.

Poll results were based on a telephone survey using a nationally representative sample of 1,016 households of adults 18 and older. The poll revealed that 87 percent of consumers have been asked in the past year to provide their Social Security number in whole or in part by a business or government agency. Requests come from a wide variety of businesses for purposes beyond credit, employment or tax compliance. Many requests come from businesses that have no clear need to collect these numbers.

The poll also revealed the following:

In the past year, 60 percent of consumers have been asked by a financial institution or retailer issuing credit to provide their Social Security numbers, while 49 percent have been asked to disclose their numbers to health-care providers.

Consumers also reported being asked to provide their Social Security numbers in the past year to a wide variety of other entities, including employers or potential employers (44 percent); insurance companies (36 percent); government agencies other than the IRS or a state tax body (32 percent); college or other school (28 percent); service provider such as cable TV or cell-phone carrier (26 percent); utilities (17 percent); and merchant or retailer (16 percent).

More than four in 10 Americans (42 percent) have been asked to provide their full or partial Social Security number on the phone or Internet to access goods or services or to verify their identity to customer-service representatives.

Fifty-two percent of Americans carry cards in their wallets that have their numbers on it.

The poll also found that Americans are concerned about the widespread availability of Social Security numbers and how businesses are using them; some 78 percent would prefer not to provide their number, but are concerned about the consequences of refusing to do so; and 91 percent agreed they were more vulnerable to identity theft when a business has their number.

Since January 2005, data security breaches have occurred at companies, schools and government agencies involving an estimated 159 million records of sensitive consumer information, often including Social Security numbers. Ninety-eight percent agreed that companies and government agencies should always be required to notify them if a database containing their Social Security number has been compromised.

Consumers Union has called on legislators to restrict the availability of Social Security numbers to prevent this sensitive information from falling into the hands of identity thieves.

The organization recommends that the sale and purchase of the numbers be tightly restricted and that solicitation be prohibited except where required by law or where needed for credit, employment, tax compliance or investment purposes.

For a copy of Consumers Union's comments to the Federal Trade Commission, which is studying the collection of Social Security numbers, visit www.consumersunion.org/pdf/RestrictSSNs.pdf.