The onslaught of spam and robocalls is discouraging people from responding to any unsolicited contact—even messages from legitimate sources—according to a study from ReverseLookup, a company that provides a multi-input verification platform.
The study, which was based on what the company calls a representative sample of 1,862 adults, found that 72% of respondents say that spam and robocalls reduce the chances that they will respond to unsolicited contacts.
The research was conducted in March 2026. In addition to the topline finding, the study found that 28% of respondents say that they feel comfortable responding to “unknown digital outreach.” This, ReverseLookup said, suggests that hesitation has crossed from being the exception to being the default.
In addition, 67% of respondents said that they immediately delete unsolicited emails and 54% avoid contact on social media from unknown users — including those who appear to be credible.
Young people seem to be leading the charge toward more skepticism. “The shift is consistent across demographics but more pronounced among younger users,” the report concluded. “Seventy-eight percent of respondents aged 25 to 40 reported heightened caution in responding to unknown outreach, compared to 63% of those over 60. The difference suggests that higher exposure to digital communication volume may be reinforcing more rigid filtering behaviors.”
The survey found that 59% of respondents felt frustration or stress when receiving repeated unsolicited communications and 41% said such experiences contribute to a broader sense of anxiety around phone or email use. The report said that this can be interpreted as a sustained pattern of negative reinforcement.
Commentary at the end of the post suggests that a “soft disengagement” from unknown content is occurring. This leads to higher barriers to engagement, slower response times, and lower rates of interaction. The piece concludes that it is unclear whether the change is permanent or a temporary response to the levels of spam.