According to a recent March 2021 Zpryme survey of national consumer attitudes and expectations, a majority of the sample (57.1%) said they had high concern levels about how companies and governments use their data. Only 16.6% stated they had no concern at all. Young people (18-24) had the largest proportion (23.7%) who were not concerned about data usage. Another noteworthy survey result revealed that as respondent age increased, concern for sharing customer data with third parties (i.e., vendors) increased.

Drilling deeper into the question, when asked whether respondents supported utilities, specifically, sharing consumer data in order to expand service offerings to them, 58.9% strongly or somewhat opposed that idea. This trend was held for both Males and Females. Again, increased age showed a higher level of concern.

It may be up to utilities that want to share customer data with vendors to find ways to reassure their customers that their data will be shared in a responsible way. That may equate to ensuring that customers are not bombarded with advertising from vendors who wish to pitch products and services to utility customers. The alternative may be that vendors wishing to offer products and services work through the utility, which would act as the conduit to the customer. Further, the age differential revealed in the survey may prompt utilities to segment their reassurance strategy messages to customers based on their age.

To find out how to access the full report and review findings from Zpryme’s Concerns with Corporate, Governmental, and Utility Data Use – Utility Response Benchmarking Report, click here.