Electoral Register opt-out shows continued fall in numbers

Callcredit Information Group has revealed early opt-out figures from the 2013 Electoral Register canvass that confirm a further fall in the number of individuals requesting to opt-out across the UK.

Early opt-out figures illustrate a slight reduction in the number of individuals deciding to opt out from the Electoral Register. Interim analysis of opt-out rates by councils across the UK has highlighted an average opt out rate of 40 percent.

The interim analysis highlights of the 46 million UK records held, 18 million consumers have taken the decision to opt-out of the Edited Register, this also means they are effectively making themselves unavailable to marketers and the wider benefits of being included on it can bring.

Over all the fall in opt-out rates has started to even out showing only a steady drop of one percent in the last twelve months across each of the 364 councils, compared to last year¹s average drop of four percent.

Chris Savage, Managing Director, Callcredit Information Group ­ Marketing Solutions division says that even though the number of those choosing to opt out is reducing, the fact remains that there is still a large proportion of consumers who are effectively eliminating themselves from the positive impact of being registered on the Edited Register:

“There is a common misconception that the Edited Register is only used for direct marketing purposes. It is in fact used for a whole range of services relied upon by consumers and businesses such as ID verification, anti fraud measures and is a key piece of data when building a credit file. It is therefore important that the public are aware of the benefits of being on the Edited Register before deciding whether to opt out.”