Share
Statewide Consumer Insights
Oregon Consumer Justice continues to partner with the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (OVBC) to conduct survey research to understand how consumer issues impact Oregonians statewide. The survey highlights concerns about unfair and illegal treatment, desired resources, legal recourse, economic well-being, and topics related to auto purchasing, loans and debt, and emergency expenses.
Explore the highlighted findings below. Reach out with questions or if you are interested in the full findings.
In both the Spring 2023 and Fall 2023 surveys, scams and fraud were the most common form of mistreatment reported. For Spring 2024 respondents who reported experiencing unfair or illegal treatment, more than one in four (27%) believe access to legal representation would have helped avoid those experiences.
Oregonians who experienced some form of unfair or illegal treatment during the past year.
Oregonians identified the consumer resources that they would find most helpful to resolve or avoid unfair and illegal consumer treatment.
More than one in two Oregonians chose access to legal counsel or services
Notably, there’s been a 7% increase since March 2023 in those who see opportunities to change and/or create laws as effective in resolving or avoiding unfair treatment.
More than eight in ten Oregonians believe state and federal agencies and individuals should be able to hold companies accountable when they violate the law.
Nearly one in four (37%) Oregonians have received a settlement from a class action lawsuit.
Oregonians believe that class actions help consumers hold companies accountable.
Survey respondents who do believe class action lawsuits are beneficial for consumers note that these lawsuits make companies face consequences by having to pay a lot of money, whether they agree to settle or are ordered by the court to pay. Respondents viewed this financial consequence as a way to prevent companies from acting unfairly in the first place.
[...] If more people speak out when companies break laws, etc., and they are punished with big fines, they will definitely improve or change their way of business [...].
Sometimes companies actually change if they get in trouble enough times.
Respondents who do not believe class action lawsuits help consumers hold companies accountable named significant legal fees affecting the total payout for consumers and that big companies can usually handle the financial pressure from these lawsuits better than individuals can.
I think corporations have all the time and money needed to outlast us and lawyers take the most out of settlements.
Because by the time settlements are made they're so insignificant and drawn out that the meaning behind them is entirely lost to begin with.
A private right of action refers to the ability of individuals to have their day in court when a company causes them harm by violating the law.
Oregonians would file a complaint or lawsuit against a company if they knew that the company violated their rights.
Respondents who would not file a complaint or lawsuit said this was due to how time-consuming and difficult the process would be. These respondents also frequently mention how companies with deep pockets could outlast everyday consumers in prolonged legal proceedings.
About two-thirds of Oregonians say they would file a complaint or lawsuit if they knew a company had violated their rights, but about 30% aren’t sure if they would, citing the complicated legal process and expensive lawyers’ fees.
Respondents who said they would file a complaint or lawsuit emphasize the importance of taking these actions to prevent similar future violations and to combat corporate exceptionalism.
Because if they get away with it once[,] they would assume it’s okay and keep doing it.
Because I wouldn't want it to happen to anyone else.
When Oregonians are asked about different types of debt they may possess, credit cards are, by far, the most prevalent, followed by mortgages, and then student loans and auto loans are tied. Twenty-two percent (22%) of Oregonians report having none of the debts listed below.
Oregon residents were asked about the financial products they might need or want in the next year but wouldn't apply for due to concerns about approval. Findings show that the most commonly mentioned products were credit cards (23%), auto loans (16%), increasing the credit limit on credit cards (13%), and mortgage or home-based loans (10%). However, more than half of the respondents (58%) did not identify any of the listed financial products as something they wanted but was likely unattainable.
Oregonians who worry daily or almost daily about the amount of debt they have
- Around 80% of Oregonians reported having never used high-interest installment loans or lines of credit. While 14% have used such installment loans or lines of credit in the past, and 6% are unsure if they have or have not.
- Around one in four Oregonians (25%) have experienced a debt collector attempting to collect payment for debt that did not belong to them. A similar percentage of Oregonians in the Fall 2023 Statewide Consumer Survey (27%) reported having experienced a debt collector attempting to collect payment for someone else’s debt.
- Regarding property tax foreclosures, 6% of respondents report that they or a family member have had the county foreclose on their property for unpaid property taxes, while the majority, 89%, say they have not experienced something similar.
- Oregonians are on the fence about whether they have the knowledge and resources they need if they have to go to court over a debt. Overall, they lean slightly more toward confidence, with 53% somewhat or very confident compared to 47% somewhat or very doubtful.
When financing a car through a dealership, buyers can often drive off the lot with their new vehicle the same day, even before finalizing the loan. Considering this, we asked Oregonians how willing they are to wait 3 to 5 days before taking ownership of their vehicle to ensure their interest rate and payments are final.
Oregonians are at least somewhat willing to wait (54% willing; 19% somewhat willing)
Oregonians show uncertainty about whether they have the information and resources needed if they must take legal action after purchasing a car. About 52% of people are somewhat (37%) or very confident (15%), while around 49% are somewhat (32%) or very doubtful (17%), showing almost equal division in opinion.
Nearly one in three Oregonians say they could not cover a $400 emergency expense, at least not without borrowing money. Another 26% say they could pay, but it would be a challenge. For people who say they couldn’t cover it on their own, most would turn to family for help as their first option, but many add that their family members are in a tight financial position, too.
Oregonians say they would NOT be able to pay an emergency expense of $400.
For the respondents who say they would not be able to pay the emergency expense, many of them say they would likely resort to borrowing money from family (29% rank this option as the most likely) or friends (23% most likely). Oregonians frequently mentioned installment payments, selling personal possessions, working additional hours, and receiving help from family as ways they would cover emergency expenses.
OCJ envisions a vibrant Oregon where all people live with dignity and abundance and experience health, joy, and economic opportunity. To understand our progress towards this future, we asked respondents to think about their and their family's ability to experience health, joy, and economic opportunities over the past year and look forward to next year.
Compared to a year ago, Oregonians who feel they have about the same ability to experience health, joy, and economic opportunities in Oregon.
Thinking ahead to the next year, Oregonians who believe that they will have a similar level of ability to experience health, joy, and economic opportunities in Oregon.
Research Methodology
The online survey, which took approximately 10 minutes to complete, consisted of 1,589 Oregon residents ages 18+ and was conducted between April 29 and May 20, 2024. This is a sufficient representative sample size to assess Oregonians’ opinions generally. This survey’s margin of error for the full sample is ±2.46%. Due to rounding, the percentages reported may not add up to 100% or compare exactly to the percentages for the same question in the annotated questionnaire or tabs.
