British Concerns About Bin-Raiding And Fraud
Nearly two-thirds (72%) of people in Britain are concerned about credit card fraud, 71% of adults are concerned about bank card fraud, 64% are concerned about identity fraud and 55% of the nation is concerned about bin raiding -- the process of searching through bins to obtain personal financial information to commit fraud. Although nine out of ten people think that shredding is an effective way to destroy their personal and financial information, still only a third of people have access to a shredder at home and only one in ten regularly shred to safely dispose of personal information.
Technical details
This report presents the findings of a survey conducted by the MORI Social Research Institute on behalf of Herald Communications for Fellowes. A representative quota sample of 1,042 British Public aged 15 and over was interviewed face-to-face in their homes. Interviews were carried out using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) between 24-29 June 2004.
Topline Results
Q1 I am now going to ask you some questions about what you do with postal communications that you receive at home. What do you do with these documents after you have received them at home?
- bank statements
- credit card statements or pre-approved applications
- personal letters
Base: All 1,042 respondents
| 160 | Q1a Bank statements | Q1b Credit card statements | Q1c Personal letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % |
| Keep them/put them somewhere safe/file them | 70 | 52 | 54 |
| Put them in the bin after tearing them up by hand | 10 | 11 | 21 |
| Shred them using a shredder and then put them in the bin | 9 | 10 | 12 |
| Burn them | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Put them in the bin with out tearing them up | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Dispose of them in the compost | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Other | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Don't know | 5 | 18 | 4 |
Q2-5 Which of the following, if any...
- have you ever heard about?
- are you concerned about?
- have you ever experienced?
- have your friends or family ever experienced?
Base: Base: All Q3-5 Base: All those who have heard of fraud types
| 160 | Q2 Heard about | Q3 Concerned about | Q4 Experienced | Q5 Friends/Family Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % | % |
| Credit Card Fraud | 92 | 72 | 9 | 20 |
| Bank Card Fraud | 87 | 71 | 6 | 12 |
| Identity Fraud/pretending to be someone else | 83 | 64 | 3 | 3 |
| Raiding people's waste or rubbish bins for personal or financial details | 76 | 55 | 2 | 3 |
| None of these | 5 | 12 | 84 | 63 |
| Don't know | * | * | * | 6 |
Q6 Do you currently have access to a paper shredder at home? Base: All
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| Yes | 32 |
| No | 68 |
| Don't know | 0 |
Q7 How often do you use the shredder at home? Base: Those who have a shredder
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| Every day | 13 |
| Less than once a day at least once a week | 37 |
| Once a month | 27 |
| Less often than once a month | 19 |
| Don't know | 4 |
Q8 And where in the home is the shredder kept? Base: Those who have a shredder
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| Home Office | 28 |
| Living room | 22 |
| Bedroom | 21 |
| Kitchen | 10 |
| Utility room | 5 |
| Garage | 2 |
| Other | 12 |
| Don't Know | 2 |
Q9 If you are considering buying a shredder, when would you plan to purchase it? Base: Those who do not have a shredder
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| In the next month | 5 |
| In the next 6 months | 7 |
| In the next year | 6 |
| Over a year away | 6 |
| Never, not considering buying a shredder | 75 |
Q10 How effective do you think shredding is for destroying personal and financial documents? Base: All
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| Very effective | 53 |
| Fairly effective | 32 |
| Not very effective | 6 |
| Not at all effective | 1 |
| Don't know | 8 |
