2006 UK Electoral Roll Opt Out Figures On The Rise Yet Again
Leading technology and data Group, which includes
EuroDirect and Callcredit has revealed the latest opt-out figures
from the 2006 Electoral Roll, which indicate yet another rise in
opt-out levels across the UK.
Interim analysis of well over 90% of the councils in the UK has
highlighted a UK average opt out rate of 32.25%, which shows a
significant increase on last year.
Year |
Overall Average |
Average Year On |
2006 |
32.25% |
4.73% |
2005 |
27.52% |
1.52% |
2004 |
26.00% |
5.10% |
2003 |
20.90% |
20.90% |
Pre-ticking of opt-outs by local authorities on electoral roll
forms has continued for the 2006 register, and the result of this
and heightened media exposure has meant that we have seen
approximately 2.1 million more people opt out across the UK in this
Autumns' canvass. This means that almost 14.5 million individuals
have now removed themselves from the marketers data toolkit.
Analysis of the Electoral Rolls processed to date indicate the
best and worst local authorities as highlighted below:
10 Highest Opt-Out Local Authority Areas So Far:
Bridgend |
77.01% |
Kennet |
74.80% |
Eden |
67.19% |
Maidstone |
65.91% |
Richmondshire |
65.70% |
Sutton |
61.35% |
Wokingham |
61.21% |
Salford |
60.98% |
Bromley |
59.93% |
Islington |
59.91% |
10 Lowest Opt-Out Local Authority Areas So Far:
Highlands & Western Isles |
9.32% |
Lanarkshire |
9.11% |
Grampian |
9.00% |
Argyll & Bute |
8.97% |
Dunbartonshire |
8.05% |
Bradford |
7.77% |
Perth and Kinross |
7.10% |
Dundee |
6.46% |
Gedling |
6.14% |
North Tayside & Angus |
5.27% |
A Mike Green, Chief Executive Officer of Skipton
Information Group comments:
"This increase is somewhat concerning. Since the legislation was
introduced, about 14.5 million less consumers are available across
the UK for targeting. Although household opt-out trends are nowhere
near as high as we see in the telecanvassing marketplace, there is
a worrying trend in data loss. The industry still needs to be aware
of the importance of supplementing the Electoral Roll with other
data sources to sustain access to the consumer universe, especially
when targeting localised campaigns."