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CII Trust Index 2019

Research

Publication date:

17 July 2019

Last updated:

18 December 2023

Author(s):

Policy and Public Affairs

Insurance is a promise of help when things go wrong. Without trust, this promise is meaningless and insurance markets cannot function. 

This is the insight that led to the creation of the CII, and the instruction in its charter to 'secure and justify the confidence of the public'. 

That is why the CII created its Trust Index in 2018. Through an exhaustive process of interviews, video diaries and other qualitative techniques, the researchers found that trust in insurance is made up of nine key ideas about ‘what good looks like’ – both in terms of competent service and ethical standards.

The research then measured trust in insurance against each of these building blocks of trust, through a survey of 1000 consumers and 1000 small businesses.

We promised to update the Index every year, to show how trust in insurance was evolving. The 2019 edition of the Trust Index showed that in the motor, travel and home insurance markets, consumers’ experiences of making a claim are significantly more in line with their expectations than they were a year ago.

This was true of the speed with which their claim is processed, the amount of respect shown to them by their insurer throughout the process, and the amount of control they have over their lives while their claim is being paid.

The area which shows the biggest gap between expectations and performance is still the way in which insurers reward customer loyalty. The gap has increased from 7.64 last year, to 9.1 this year. 

Dr Matthew Connell, director of policy and public affairs, said: “Last year, we highlighted the impact that renewal pricing was having on consumer trust. Since then, the insurance sector has implemented the ABI / BIBA Guiding Principles and Action Points for General Insurance Pricing, and there has been an encouraging amount of high-profile marketing activity promising existing customers that they will be treated fairly.

This means that insurers have increased awareness of the issue of rewarding loyalty but perceptions around performance have not changed yet. We expect that as the actions taken by insurers to reward existing customers for their loyalty take effect, the rating around this crucial aspect of trust will begin to rise. This experience underlines that fact that once trust falls, it takes a long time to rebuild it.”

 

Read the CII Trust Index 

[updated March 2020]

 

This document is believed to be accurate but is not intended as a basis of knowledge upon which advice can be given. Neither the author (personal or corporate), the CII group, local institute or Society, or any of the officers or employees of those organisations accept any responsibility for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the data or opinions included in this material. Opinions expressed are those of the author or authors and not necessarily those of the CII group, local institutes, or Societies.