Following the full load of more than 45m Electoral Roll records, Equifax completed a detailed analysis of the information and found that the opt-out figure has risen by three points to 32.11%.
Equifax puts the blame for the leap in opt-outs on local councils, many of which pre-ticked the opt-out box on the registration forms and believes the increase will impact direct marketers as well as consumers applying for goods and services by mail order and online, because companies only verifying identity and not making a credit check can only use the edited Electoral Roll.
Neil Munroe, external affairs director of Equifax, said: "Our analysis proves that pre-ticking increases the likelihood of opt-out by consumers. The five councils with the highest increase in opt-outs were those that pre-ticked the Electoral Roll registration form. The five highest decreases in opt-out were in places that didn't pre-tick. Opt-out for those not pre-ticking is only 23.42% compared with 32.11% overall."
He added that it would have an obviously have an impact on direct marketers who only have access to the edited Electoral Roll, which comprises details of consumers who have not opted out.
Monroe said: "Entry on the Electoral Roll is an important part of the credit granting process and maintaining the quality of the data is a high priority for Equifax. We could not do this without the support and cooperation of all the staff at the councils and our own core team of dedicated experts.
"Our focus now will be continually updating the rolling register, bringing our customers the most up-to-date and accurate full and edited Electoral Roll information."
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