From November 9th- 25th, 2024, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (OVBC) conducted a statewide survey of Oregonians’ values and beliefs regarding consumer justice. The research was conducted to assist Oregon Consumer Justice (OCJ) in their commitment to advance consumer justice, shape an equitable and inclusive marketplace, and improve Oregonians’ rights as consumers through advocacy, legal support, community engagement, and consumer outreach.
The question numbers in this document correspond with the accompanying annotated questionnaire and tabs. Due to rounding, the percentages reported below may not add up to 100% or compare exactly to the percentages for the same question in the annotated questionnaire or tabs.
Included below for selected questions are noteworthy subgroup variations for age, gender, area of the state, BIPOC/white, etc. The accompanying set of tabs notes subgroup variations for all the questions.
Unless otherwise noted, each statement that summarizes noticeable differences captures a comparison within an identification category. For example, if reported that those 75 and older show a higher support of a particular statement, this captures a comparison to other age groups.
For survey full question wording, all statistically significant subgroup findings, and respondent quotes, readers are encouraged to refer to the accompanying documents located at the bottom of this post under “For More Information”: (1) annotated questionnaire, (2) crosstabulations, and (3) verbatim written responses spreadsheet (upon request).
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Health and car insurance are the most common insurance policies held by Oregonians.
- A strong majority of Oregonians believe it is important that insurance companies adhere to the same foundational consumer protection laws as other industries.
INSURANCE SERVICES
Health and car insurance are the most commonly held insurance policies among Oregonians, with 74% and 73% of respondents, respectively, reporting coverage. On the other hand, renter’s insurance (19%) and umbrella insurance (12%) are less commonly held. Around 7% of Oregonians report not having any of the insurance policies presented by the survey.
When asked about their experiences with insurance services over the past 12 months, 39% of Oregonians said they hadn’t encountered any issues. Among those who did, the most common challenges were premium increases (25%), difficulty understanding policy terms (16%), and trouble comparing policies across insurance companies (15%). Other notable concerns included a lack of transparency in coverage options (13%) and limited coverage for specific needs (12%).
When discussing insurance rate increases in the past year, increases in car insurance premiums were the most common, with nearly half (48%) of respondents hit with higher premiums in the past year. Home insurance followed, with 28% reporting increases, and health insurance was close behind at 25%. For both car and home insurance, 18% of respondents saw rate hikes in the 10-20% range, while 12% faced hikes exceeding 20%. Health insurance showed slightly lower rates of extreme hikes, with 15% of respondents reporting increases of 10-20% and 7% facing hikes of over 20%.
CONSUMER PROTECTIONS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES
A strong majority of Oregonians (81%) believe it is important for insurance companies to adhere to the same foundational consumer protection laws that apply to other industries. Of this group, 55% say it is very important, while 27% consider it important. Only 16% of respondents expressed neutrality on the matter. A mere 3% think it’s unimportant (1%) or very unimportant (2%). This overwhelming support underscores the public’s strong expectation that insurance companies should be held to the same standards as other sectors when it comes to consumer protection.
SUMMATION QUOTES – Amaury Vogel, Executive Director
“The call for corporate accountability is loud and clear. A strong majority of Oregonians believe insurance companies should follow the same consumer protection laws as other industries.”
“This research paints a clear picture of the mounting pressures on Oregon households. Financial strain is rising, and residents are calling for meaningful accountability from corporations, especially in industries like insurance, utilities, and healthcare.”
METHODOLOGY
The online survey consisted of 1,763 Oregon residents ages 18+ and took approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. This is a sufficient sample size to assess Oregonians’ opinions and review findings by multiple subgroups. Respondents were contacted by using professionally maintained online panels. A variety of quality control measures were employed to gather responses, including questionnaire pre-testing, validation, and real-time monitoring of responses. To ensure a representative sample, demographic quotas were set, and data was weighted by area of the state, gender, age, and education.
OVBC surveys currently use aggregated data to analyze the opinions of BIPOC residents in comparison to the opinions of residents who identify as white and not another race. BIPOC residents are not a homogeneous population, instead, they represent a wide diversity of races and ethnicities. The findings included in this memo should not be construed such that all people of color are believed to share the same opinions. Disaggregated race data will be provided when sample sizes permit reliability.
Statement of Limitations:: Any sampling of opinions or attitudes is subject to a margin of error. The margin of error is a standard statistical calculation that represents differences between the sample and total population at a confidence interval, or probability, calculated to be 95%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the sample taken for this study would fall within the stated margin of error if compared with the results achieved from surveying the entire population. This survey’s margin of error for the full sample is ±2.33%
For More Information:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (OVBC): This research was completed by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center as a community service. OVBC is an independent and non-partisan organization and an Oregon charitable nonprofit corporation. Representative OVBC projects include a series of in-depth business interviews for the Columbia County Economic Team, as well as an extensive opinion research study about Oregonian’s values and beliefs, in partnership with over 20 organizations (Learn more about the 2023 Typology Study).
Oregon Consumer Justice (OCJ) is committed to advancing consumer justice, shaping an equitable and inclusive marketplace, and improving Oregonians’ rights as consumers through advocacy, legal support, community engagement, and consumer outreach.