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EQUIFAX REVEALS ELECTORAL ROLL OPT-OUT RESULTS
And provides hope for the future of direct marketing

Following the successful load of the 2002 Electoral Roll, Equifax, the leading information provider, reveals the first figures from the new Electoral Roll and the level of opt-out across the UK. A national average of just over 20% of individuals have selected to opt-out of the use of their electoral information for commercial purposes according to the latest Equifax report. This is much less than many predicted however, affluent areas seem to have the highest opt-out levels, which could be a cause for concern amongst marketers.

Scotland was the lowest with only a 12% opt-out rate, followed closely by Shropshire with 12.1%. At the other end of the scale, Northern Ireland had the highest number of voters opting-out at 41.7%, the second highest region, Kent with 31.8%. On closer analysis, the figures reveal that affluent areas fared worst. And these are the areas that businesses may want to target most, which is why Equifax is leading the way in developing alternatives to the Electoral Roll information.

Graham Arrowsmith, Market Development Director for Equifax explains, “Although the national average opt-out rate of 20% was reassuringly low, this disguises the fact that some individual councils had opt-out levels of over 70%. There was no North/South divide on a geographical basis, as the figures show a large variance across the UK.

“However, with the more affluent people choosing to opt-out, our clients will be looking for new ways to target those individuals. Equifax has a number of initiatives in development for 2003, including new verification solutions, a very powerful predictor of wealth and consumer activity, new data to pinpoint changes in client databases and supplementary data such as forename and date of birth to ensure clients optimise returns from their databases and prospect selections. The edited Electoral Roll is the biggest change to happen to the Direct Marketing industry for a decade, but Equifax has a wealth of knowledge and expertise, enabling it to adapt its solutions and continue to provide comprehensive data for its clients.”

ER OPT-OUT RESULTS FROM EQUIFAX
5 Regions with Lowest Opt Out Rates
5 Regions with Highest Opt Out Rates

Scotland (12.0%)
Shropshire (12.1%)
Bristol (12.6%)
Manchester (13.4%)
Derbyshire (13.6%)

Northern Ireland (41.7%)
Kent (31.8%)
West Sussex (31.3%)
Durham (30.1%)
Buckinghamshire (30.1%)

 

ENDS
April 200