For years, poor public relations have hindered insurers'fight against fraud, but that could be changing.

Public awareness programs, legislative proposals and astring of high-profile busts are not only challenginglong-held misnomers but also seem to be raising socialconsciousness. One need only look to a recent public opinion surveyfor some encouragement.

According to new findings from an online Insurance ResearchCouncil (IRC) public opinion study, the numberof Americans who believe it is acceptable to pad an insuranceclaim is, in fact, dwindling. Twenty-four percent of IRCsurvey respondents believe it is okay to increase an insuranceclaim by a small amount to make up for deductibles they arerequired to pay, compared to 33 percent in a 2002 telephonesurvey.Additionally, 18 percent believe it is acceptable toincrease a claim to make up for premiums paid in previous yearswhen they had no claims, the lowest percentage since the questionwas first asked in a 1981 in-home survey.

Unfortunately, the younger respondents, especially males, wereless inclined to view claims padding as wrong, or at leastdistasteful enough to opt out of such a crime.

For example, among males between the ages of 18 and 34, 23percent agree it is acceptable to increase claims amounts toessentially compensate for premiums, compared to just 5percent of their older (male) counterparts, and just 8 percent offemales aged 18-34.

The IRC study, Insurance Fraud: A Public View, 2013Edition, also found that 86 percent of Americans agree withthe statement “insurance fraud leads to higher rates for everyone,”while 10 percent agree that “insurance fraud doesn't hurtanyone.”

“The decline in the public acceptance of fraud is encouraging,”says Elizabeth Sprinkel, senior vice president of the IRC.“However, the fact remains that nearly one in four Americans aretolerant of claims padding behavior that has direct implicationsfor claims costs and the cost of insurance for consumers. Moreover,one in ten believe that insurance fraud doesn't hurt anyone,indicating the need for continued public education.”

Respondents showed strong support for fraud-fighting efforts.Two-thirds (66 percent) approved of legislation to limit attorneyand medical provider access to police accident reports for thepurposes of soliciting new clients or patients, a marked increasefrom 2002. Eight in ten were willing to participate in claimprocesses that could help insurers detect and prevent fraud, suchas examinations under oath (85 percent) or independent medicalexams (80 percent). Eighty-two percent agreed that persons whocommit insurance fraud should be prosecuted to the fullest extentof the law, although the consequences favored for specific fraudactivities were generally less severe than in 2002.

The 2012 results are based on an online survey IRCconducted in June 2012 among 2,005 adults across the country.Survey results were weighted by known demographic distributions toensure that the final results were representative of the total U.S.adult population.