Most Americans Back Reduced Postal Delivery

Faced with a choice between government funding for continued Saturday postal service or higher stamp prices, a majority said they would accept less-frequent delivery of mail.

The U.S. Postal Service has made it official. To help solve its financial problems, Saturday delivery of mail will end inAugust. Gallup found that 68% of Americans favor such a move, more than would like to see government funding for the postal service, higher stamp prices, or the closing of their local post office branches.

Some comments from MicroBytes readers collected by Hardy Diagnostics on the end of Saturday service in Gallup’s poll were both approving:

• “Absolutely! No one wants mail on Saturdays anyway.”
• “It is not an essential service in this age of electronic media.”
• “We have never had Saturday delivery where I live and we did just fine.”

While other comments were dismayed:

• “It is a shame people do not write anymore.”
• “I like my Saturday mail, even if it is bills.”
• “That is the only day for some of us to get to the post office when we have to mail packages, etc.

Views on this issue have changed little over the last few years, save for Americans’ becoming slightly more supportive of reducing the number of days post offices are open—their preferred option overall.

Americans may not object to reduced mail delivery in part because they are more likely to send email as opposed to snail mail (67% vs. 53%), although they are still more likely to pay bills by mail than online (66% vs. 47%).

The Postal Service says the move would save more than $3 billion per year.