So how can we as an industry improve our RQ? Additional findings may provide some clues:

More than three-quarters of the general public are concerned about the amount of private information companies capture about their customers, and less than half trust them to act responsibly with it.
When broken down into "seekers" and "bystanders," seekers rule: in 2014, 56% of respondents proactively try to learn more about the companies they hear about or do business with, compared with 44% that do not.
Six in 10 decided not to do business with a company based on something they learned about the company's conduct.
Technology continues to have the most positive "reputation halo," while financial services industries remain polarizing.
Only Coca-Cola appears in all six dimensions: social responsibility (80.37 RQ), emotional appeal (81.07 RQ), products and services (82.41 RQ), vision and leadership (84.42 RQ), financial performance (85.22 RQ), and workplace environment (82.09 RQ).

I'll grant you that insurance isn't fizzy sugar water with a reputation stoked by cute animated polar bears and Santa Claus. Nor does it sell addictive mobile devices, mouse ears, industrial-sized packages of toilet paper, or overpriced organic quinoa. On the flip side, however, insurance hasn't been linked to childhood obesity or diabetes, Chinese sweatshops, questionable treatment of its workforce, or Johnny Depp as Tonto in "The Lone Ranger."

Special Reports /

Harris 'Reputation Quotient' Survey Shows Insurance Should Play to Strengths

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