Daily Research News Online no. 2596 - 'Do Not Call' Registry Popular But Misunderstood

'Do Not Call' Registry Popular But Misunderstood

September 11 2003

According to the FTC, around 42 million telephone numbers have already been registered on the US' new National Do Not Call Registry, which aims to regulate unsolicited telephone calls to the public. The latest findings from Harris Interactive(r) estimate that c.60m households will sign up eventually, but show confusion about the extent of its coverage to areas such as canvassing, fund-raising and of course, research.

Seven out of ten Americans (71%) have seen, read or heard about the National Do Not Call Registry, with TV the single most common source of information. About a third of all adults (32%) claimed that they have registered as of mid August, and 42% of the remainder (29% of all adults) said that they were planning to register, adding up to just over 60% registered or planning to.

An overwhelming majority (83%) thinks that the registry is a good idea. This number rises to 94% among those who are registered or who are planning to register. Even among those who have not registered and who are not planning to register, two-thirds (66%) think the registry is a good idea.

There is only mild cynicism about the effectiveness of the Register. While 11% of those registered or planning to be think the number of unsolicited telephone calls 'will not go down at all', an encouraging 50% think they will go down 'a lot' and 37% 'a little'. Two thirds of those not planning to register think calls will be reduced only a little or not at all.

The range of call types covered by the ban is not widely understood. A large majority of all adults (84%) correctly say that the registry applies to 'telemarketing, sales related or commercial calls'. However, significant numbers of people (between 23 and 42%) also think that the registry applies to political fund-raising and canvassing, commercial surveys, political and academic surveys and fund raising by charities. Only 9% correctly say that the registry only applies to telemarketing calls.

Most Americans (77%) think that telemarketing calls are 'always annoying'- a much higher proportion than for the other call types, which rate as follows:

Fund raising calls from political parties or candidates (43%)
Fund raising calls from non-profit or charitable organizations (31%)
Calls to conduct surveys about products and services (30%)
Calls to conduct surveys for political parties or candidates (28%)
Calls to conduct surveys about other subject for the media (25%)
Call to conduct government or academic survey research (18%)

Project manager David Krane, a Senior Vice President of Public Policy Research at Harris Interactive(r) points out honestly that 'because this poll was conducted by telephone and telephone surveys are part of the content of the survey', a bias may have been introduced, and concludes frankly that 'the public will probably be very happy if the number of telemarketing and other sales related calls goes down significantly but might be disappointed when the other calls (including telephone surveys such as The Harris Poll) remain unaffected'.

The Harris Poll(r) was conducted by telephone between August 12 and 17 among a nationwide cross section of 1,011 Americans aged 18+.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.