National Do-Not-Call Registry: Seven in Ten are Registered and All of Them Will Renew Their Registration

Not only does the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Do-Not-Call Registry continue to have great success, but the agency has also succeeded in alerting people that their registration expires and a renewal is necessary.

Just under three-quarters (72%) of Americans have registered their telephone numbers for the "Do-Not-Call Registry." Of those who have registered, very few people say they get as many telemarketing calls as before they signed up (6%) and only one percent say they get more than before they signed up. One in five (18%) report that they currently get no telemarketing calls with three in five (59%) reporting that they still get some, but far less than before they signed onto the Registry and 14 percent saying they get some, but a little less than before they registered.

These are the some of the results of a Harris Poll of 2,565 U.S. adults aged 18 or over surveyed online between October 9 and 15, 2007 by Harris Interactive^®.

While seven in ten of those who are registered (71%) say they know that the "Do-Not-Call Registry" expires and they will have to renew their registration, 29 percent unaware of this fact. Interestingly, those in the West and those who have Post-Graduate degrees are less likely to be aware they will have to renew their registration (33% for both).

What is a true testament to the success of the ‘Do-Not-Call Registry" is the overwhelming response when those who are signed up are asked if they will renew their registration. Almost everyone (96%) says that they already have or will renew their registration. One-quarter (25%) have already done so and 71 percent plan on renewing their registration. Just two percent say they will not and an additional two percent are unsure.

With the pessimistic attitude toward a great deal of what Washington does, it is rare to see a government agency enjoying such a success as the FTC and this Registry. When very strong majorities of Americans not only sign up for something that the government proposes, but then also say it is working, that is worth noting. Further evidence of how well Americans regard this program is in the 96 percent who plan to renew.

"Have you seen, read or heard about the National ‘Do-Not-Call Registry’ list that the Federal Trade Commission set up and which went into effect as of October 1, 2003?"

Base: All adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

* Less than 0.5%.

"Have you registered for the National ‘Do-Not-Call Registry’?"

Base: All adults

"Since you signed up, have you received any telemarketing calls?"

Base: All who have registered

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

"Did you know that the ‘Do-Not-Call Registry’ expires and you will have to renew your registration?"

Base: All who have registered

"Have you or will you renew your registration on the ‘Do-Not-Call Registry’?"

Base: All who have registered

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between October 9 and 15, 2007 among a total of 2,565 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, education, region and Internet usage were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult populations of the respective countries. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

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