The US Postal Service (USPS) has claimed that 80 per cent of American citizens support its plans tocut mail delivery to five days a week from August onwards in order to save costs.
A survey commissioned by USPS from independent market research company Ipsos and conductedbetween 8-11 February showed that the vast majority of the country’s population – as many as 80 percent – was in favour of the switch to five-day mail delivery and the continuing six-day parceldelivery.
The number of people willing to support the new delivery schedule if this helped tostabilise the company’s financial situation was even higher with 85 per cent. The survey was basedon responses from 1,002 U.S. residents aged 18 and over and has a margin of error of ± 3.1 percent.
“These survey results illustrate the strong public support for our new delivery schedule incommunities across the country,” USPS Postmaster General and CEO Patrick R. Donahoe said. “TheAmerican public understands the financial challenges of the Postal Service and supports this newdelivery schedule as a prudent, responsible and reasonable approach to address our urgent financialsituation.”
According to previous market research by USPS and independent research by major newsoutlets, nearly seven out of ten Americans (70 per cent) supported the switch to five-day deliveryto help USPS to reduce costs in its effort to return the organisation to financial stability.
USPS added that its poll results are slightly higher than those of the major news outletsbecause it highlighted the continued six-day delivery of parcels and the benefits that the newdelivery schedule would have for the company’s financial situation.
The published survey results follow the hearing before the Senate Homeland Security andGovernmental Affairs Committee this week during which Donahoe urged the US Senate to implementlegislative changes to the company’s business model and to allow the postal operator to pursue itscost-cutting policy in order to raise revenues and reduce operating expenses. Both Senators andpostal unions expressed their dissatisfaction about the announced cuts.
