Original research · pilot

PolicyPlain research

PolicyPlain is building a small research desk that reports how people use educational tools, not who they are. We do not publish survey percentages about “what Americans prefer” unless we collect data under the rules below—and we have not published live trend charts yet.

Status (2026-09-29): methodology and product specs are public. Aggregate dashboards are in pilot; charts will appear here only after minimum sample thresholds are met.

Active & planned products

• pilot

  Coverage Decision Trends

  An early research product studying how readers move through educational tools when comparing deductibles, liability limits, and renters coverage—not what any single person chose, and never tied to identity.

  Methodology & schema →

Methodology (all research)

Data sources

• First-party, cookie-consented analytics events on PolicyPlain tools and guides (when enabled by the reader).
• No sale of personal data; no cross-site tracking profiles for underwriting or marketing lists.
• No insurer claim files, credit reports, or motor vehicle records.

Aggregation rules

• Events are rolled up by week and by page/tool slug.
• Minimum sample thresholds will be published before any chart goes live—we will not show percentages from tiny samples.
• Geography, if ever shown, will be at state or regional rollups only when sample size allows, never individual IP precision.

Sample & interpretation limits

• PolicyPlain readers are self-selected learners—not a random sample of all insured Americans.
• Tool inputs are educational; they do not reflect bound policies or paid premiums.
• Seasonality (open enrollment, storm seasons) can skew paths without implying market-wide truth.
• We will label every public chart with collection dates and methodology notes.

Privacy

• No personally identifiable information (PII) is required to use tools.
• Research aggregates cannot be reversed to identify a visitor.
• If we run a voluntary survey in the future, it will be opt-in with a separate privacy notice.

What we will not do

• Invent national preference percentages from blog traffic guesses.
• Attribute quotes or credentials to anonymous tool users.
• Sell research panels or lead lists to carriers or agents.
• Present calculator inputs as bound premium or claims data.

Calculator formulas live on methodology. Editorial standards on editorial policy and trust.

Questions or corrections: contact.