64% of Canadians plan to register for no-call list

Nearly two-thirds of Canadians are tired of dealing with telemarketers and plan to register their phone numbers on the CRTC's new national do-not-call list, which takes effect tomorrow (Sept 30th), a new poll suggests.

Once a number is on the no-call registry, telemarketers will be barred from dialing that number, or face a hefty fine if they do. The maximum fines for individuals and companies telemarketing are $1,500 and $15,000, respectively.

The poll, conducted for the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, indicates 51 per cent of Canadians are aware of the no-call list, up from 44 per cent at the same time last year.

Once respondents were informed of the list, 64 per cent said they planned to register their phone numbers.

The poll for the association, which represents the majority of the country's advertising and market research companies, also suggests 61 per cent of Canadians believe exemptions from the no-call list – which includes pollsters, researchers and government agencies – will not affect the list's ability to stop calls from unwanted telemarketers.

When compared with a similar poll conducted last year, Canadians' awareness of the no-call list is up seven percentage points, a number Wycks attributes to media coverage and campaigns from advocacy groups. The polls were conducted as part of the research association's program to promote the power of public opinion in a democracy, Wycks said.

The United States has had a no-call registry since 2003, with similar exemptions for research firms.

The confidence Canadians have in a list's ability to block telemarketing calls despite the exemptions is justified, Wycks said. A poll by the American firm Harris Interactive of 2,565 U.S. adults surveyed online between Oct. 9 and Oct. 15, 2007 indicated 72 per cent of Americans had registered their telephone numbers for the U.S. no-call registry, with 18 per cent reporting they received no telemarketing calls.

About 59% said they still received some calls, but far fewer than before they signed on.

See also:

Dealing with Telemarketers and their Economics

Advertising in America

Telephone Marketing And SPAM Should Be ILLEGAL!