Statewide Consumer Insights

Together with the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (OVBC), a nonpartisan research nonprofit, Oregon Consumer Justice set out to understand the most impactful issues facing consumers in our state. These include concerns about illegal or unfair treatment by those we do business with, the state of our economic well-being, and specific experiences relating to insurance, medical debt, and utilities.

This survey builds on findings from Spring 2023, Fall 2023, and Spring 2024 to give us a clearer picture of what’s happening in our communities statewide—from Josephine and Baker to Clatsop and Clackamas counties.

The big takeaway

Consumers continue to face unacceptable levels of mistreatment by the companies we rely on for everyday goods and services. Half of Oregonians—one in two—experienced some form of unfair or illegal business practices in the past year, with scams and fraud being the most common kind of foul play.

As these injustices persist, resources continue to grow tighter for many of us. Fewer than half (40%) of all Oregonians said they could comfortably cover a $400 emergency expense, with 35% saying they'd have to take out a loan or go into debt to pay.

Why this matters

Our goal at OCJ is to build an Oregon where everyone can experience health, joy, and economic opportunity. It’s critical we listen to Oregonians to best understand how to move our mission forward. This includes our work collaborating with community partners, advocating for policy change, expanding access to direct legal help, and building educational resources for consumers.

What's next

Read on for a more detailed breakdown of what’s happening in Oregon’s consumer marketplace and the steps we are taking to make it a safer, more transparent place for all of us.

Research Methodology 

The online survey consisted of 1,763 Oregon residents ages 18+ and took approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. This is a sufficient sample size to assess Oregonians’ opinions generally and to review findings by multiple subgroups. Respondents were contacted by using professionally maintained online panels. In gathering responses, a variety of quality control measures were employed, including questionnaire pre-testing, validation, and real-time monitoring of responses. To ensure a representative sample, demographic quotas were set, and data was weighted by area of the state, gender, age, and education.