Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Centre for Competition Policy: Energy Consumer Survey, 2005 aimed to identify consumers' perception with respect to search and switching costs and expected gains from switching energy suppliers. Conducted by Ipsos Mori for the Centre for Competition Policy (CCP), the survey was based on a nationally representative quota sample. The questions were designed to be consistent with those asked in other surveys, including a later consumer survey also undertaken at CCP (see SN 7918).

Main Topics:

Respondents were asked: whether they were aware of choice in the market, whether they had searched around for better deals and whether they had switched energy supplier in each market during the previous three years (other than when moving home);how much of their own time such search and switching had taken and whether this was more or less than they had expected; or, if they had no experience, how long they would expect to have to spend on each activity;how much they thought they could save in each market if they shopped around, and to report their current expenditure in each market;who consumers would trust for good advice in the various markets, and where they would go for information;what had prompted them to search and switch when they had done so, as well as reasons for switching and for not switching;whether they thought they had saved the amount of money they expected to, and what anticipated saving would persuade them to look for and switch to better deals.Demographic characteristics, including age, gender, and income were also gathered. The data also include respondents' current and immediate previous suppliers in each market.

Quota sample

The survey relied on quota sampling following the Government Office Regions' set quota on demographics (e.g., age, gender, class).

Face-to-face interview