Some 71% of consumers believe that by clicking on a "This is Spam" or "Report Spam" button in their e-mail they are trying to unsubscribe from an e-mail. The buttons are features for Internet service providers such as AOL and Yahoo.
This and other factors leading to marketing e-mail not getting delivered were examined in a survey released at the FTC Spam Forum by Bigfoot Interactive, an e-mail service provider in New York.
While consumers prefer the "Delete" button as the best method for eliminating all types of unwanted e-mail, that so many think the ISPs’ "stop spam" buttons is a way to unsubscribe points to "an enormous need for consumer education in the marketplace so that consumers can better distinguish and appropriately respond to different types of unwanted e-mail communications," said Al DiGuido, Bigfoot Interactive’s CEO in a statement.
Almost 58% of respondents to the survey agreed that attempting to unsubscribe from unwanted e-mails has resulted in receiving just that. And 90% said they would prefer their ISP include an unsubscribe option that would remove them from e-mail lists.
Slightly over half favor the establishment of a separate folder that would contain must-receive items such as billing alerts. Fifty percent said they would subscribe to a free service that would guarantee the delivery of such critical communications.
Many respondents (79%) also felt pornography should be treated differently from other unwanted e-mail by ISPs. The highest use of the "Report Spam" or "This is Spam" buttons by consumers was for pornography, the survey said.
The survey is based on interviews conducted from April 25 to 27 with 1,023 adults 18 years old or older. Findings are based on 474 adults with Internet access at home.
