Consumer Survey 2021
Reports, plans and updates
- Publication date
- Industry sector
- Supply and Retail Market
Related links
- Consumer survey 2021: summary of findings on consumer attitudes to climate change and uptake of low carbon technologies
- Consumer survey 2021: summary of research findings on electric vehicle users
- Consumer survey 2021: summary of findings on young energy consumers (aged 16-24)
- Consumer Survey 2020: Update on Consumer Engagement with Energy
- Ofgem consumer survey 2020: Decarbonisation insights
- Consumer Survey 2019
Ofgem’s Consumer Survey is a nationally representative survey of domestic energy consumers in Great Britain. It is designed to measure consumer engagement with the energy market and was expanded from 2020 to also include questions measuring consumers’ attitudes and behaviours relating to decarbonisation. Fieldwork for the 2021 survey was conducted in August-September 2021, before the global gas crisis.
The findings are presented in two reports – one covering consumer engagement in the energy market and the other covering decarbonisation and home energy use - consumers’ attitudes towards climate change and adoption of low carbon behaviour changes.
The key findings from the Consumer Engagement report are:
Engagement in the energy market (through comparing deals, switching tariff or supplier) remains stable since 2020 although within this there is a small but significant decline in supplier switching.
- Online price comparison sites remain the main route used by those engaging in the energy market
- Vulnerable consumers remain significantly less likely to have engaged with engagement lowest among prepayment meters consumers and those who are financially constrained or in financial difficulty.
The key findings from the Decarbonisation and Home Energy Use report are:
- Concern about climate change is high but many consumers think they are doing enough
- Most consumers say they understand their energy use, but many don’t monitor it
- There is significant confusion around green tariffs
- Most consumers do not have low carbon technologies in their homes
- Intentions to install low carbon heating has increased since 2020
- Reported uptake of smart tariffs remains low even among electric vehicle users
- Those with plug-in EVs are generally open to smart charging from the perspective of external control, but practical barriers remain.
The reports and full data tables are published below. The raw survey data can be provided on request. Please contact consumer.first@ofgem.gov.uk for further details.