Public attitudes towards electrical safety in the home

Ipsos recently conducted the third wave of a general public survey around attitudes towards electrical safety in the home for the Electrical Safety Council (ESC). The ESC is a registered charity committed to reducing deaths and injuries caused by electrical accidents. The organisation is supported by all sectors of the electrical industry as well as local and central government. A nationally representative sample of 1,997 British adults aged 15+ was interviewed via Ipsos’s Capibus service, the regular Ipsos survey among the general public, between 20 and 26 April 2012. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in respondents’ homes using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). The 2012 survey builds on research conducted in 2011 and 2010 on the same issues. The aim of the research is to help the ESC to better understand the British public’s awareness and understanding of electrical safety issues in the home, as well as barriers and motivators for taking action. This understanding will help the ESC target its efforts to improve electrical safety.

The charity, through its activities and partnerships, aims to ensure that consumers’ needs are recognised and that issues of safety are given the appropriate priority. This includes:

• promoting changes in attitude and behaviour by raising consumer awareness of the issues and risks;
• influencing other stakeholders to consider consumer needs;
• campaigning in areas of risk; and
• promoting best practice across industry.