31 Jan 2012: Electoral Roll opt-out rates have fallen for the second year in a row, according to a new report from direct marketing services and credit data agency Callcredit Information Group. With 99% of UK councils’ electoral rolls now received, the ‘2012 Regional Electoral Opt-Out Report’ for the 2012 canvas shows that 4.7% fewer people opted out of the edited electoral roll compared to last year.

Despite this, opt-out rates still remain significantly high and there are still dramatic disparities between local authorities. Callcredit has also carried out further analysis of demographics to create a profile of a typical ‘opt-out’ individual, revealing that they are more likely than usual to be single, wealthy, middle-aged and financially astute, among other characteristics.

The report highlights the following key findings:

• 30% of councils have seen more than half of their residents opting out, compared to 42% in 2011. The majority of councils have opt-out rates between 20% and 60%.

• 9% of councils have opt-out rates in excess of 60%, a significant fall compared to 16% in 2011.

• Vale of Glamorgan has the highest opt-out rate at 91.9% - an increase of 55% on last year.

• Only two councils, both in Scotland, have opt-out rates below 10%.

Chris Savage, Managing Director of Callcredit Information Group – Marketing Solutions division, said: “The drop in the number of people choosing to opt out of the edited electoral roll is good news for marketers, particularly in difficult trading conditions, but nevertheless, four in ten UK adults are unavailable for marketing through electoral roll records alone. There are also big disparities across different local authority areas, some of which have seen significant rises in their opt-out figures this year – particularly in Vale of Glamorgan, which has experienced a 55% increase.

 “It is vital that marketers understand which areas are most affected and tailor their marketing strategies accordingly, particularly as some of those opting out are likely to have significant spending power. Callcredit’s prospect universe provides alternative sources of data, including insurance quotations, demographic surveys, live transactional data and loan applications, covering almost 43 million UK consumers.”

To request your copy of the full report, which contains the complete list of opt-outs by local authority, email: info@callcreditmarketing.com