U.S. consumers savvy about tools used to report and control spam

The average American is extremely e-mail savvy and knows what methods to use to manage e-mail and spam, according to a new survey from the Email Sender and Provider Coalition.

73% of those responding have used e-mail for six or more years, and more than 80% check their e-mail at least once a day. More than 80% of those responding use “Report Spam” and “Unsubscribe” buttons to manage their inboxes.

The survey also found that consumers want greater support from ISPs, e-mail providers and marketers so they can more easily control their e-mail experience. Most would like to see tools like “Unsubscribe” and “Report Fraud” (90% and 80% respectively) added to their e-mail programs. And 53% said they would be more likely to open and read e-mail if the sending company was certified with an icon displayed in the e-mail inbox.

“The results of this survey suggest that our industry has a unique opportunity to help consumers manage their e-mail,” says Dave Lewis, vice president of marketing development for StrongMail Systems Inc. “They’ve proven that they understand and use the tools they’re given and have expressed a desire for more. It’s now incumbent on senders and ISPs to come together to put more control in consumers’ hands.”

Of those surveyed, 80% decide whether to click on the “Report Spam” or “Junk” button without opening the actual message. 73% base their decision on the “From” line and 69% on the “Subject” line. 79% say they use the “Report Spam” button when they don’t know who the sender is.

In addition, trust in “Unsubscribe” links is high, with 80% of those surveyed using them, and half click on them even if they are unfamiliar with the sender.

“Just as we’ve seen with TV and online consumer-generated media, consumer-generated e-mail reporting has also taken hold through direct interactions with senders and ISPs,” says Ben Isaacson, privacy and compliance leader for CheetahMail. “These survey results validate the fact that e-mail senders must constantly monitor both unsubscribe and complaint rates in order to carefully manage their reputation with recipients and ISPs.”

For the report, ESPC and research firm Ipsos Insight surveyed in December a random sample of 2,252 Internet users from the top U.S. ISPs.