Magazines and newspapers arrive in the household mainly because of consumer choice.  Consumers value them and they remain a desirable, viable component in the marketing mix.

Date released:  August 2009

Type of Promotional Material/Activity Tested:

Periodicals (magazines and newspapers) delivered to households by the US Postal Service

Sample Population:

The Household Diary Study is a continuously fielded study that uses a two-stage survey design:   Stage 1 is an interviewer-mediated household recruitment interview. Stage 2 is a self-completed seven-day household diary of household mail received and sent.

Metrics:

This section of the study examined magazines and newspapers delivered in the mail.  Newspapers or magazines delivered by a local carrier or purchased at a newsstand or store are not included.

Top-Line Results:

• Magazines and newspapers represent about 4 percent of all household mail volumes.  Periodicals volumes reached a peak in 1990 at 10.7 billion pieces, but declined each year since 1997 (with the exception of FY 2000, the dot.com boom). Since 2000, the volume has dropped dramatically. In 2008, households received 6.4 billion periodicals, compared to 6.6 billion in 2007 and 6.7 in 2006.

• Seven of 10 (73%) of all periodicals received by households are magazines compared to 1987 when magazines comprised 59% of household periodicals.

• Newspapers delivered by the USPS make up 18% of total periodicals volumes, down from 35% in 1987. The number of newspapers received per household each week declined from 0.6 to 0.2 during that same time period, while magazines only declined from 1.0 to 0.8 pieces per week.

• Higher income and more education translates into more magazines and newspapers received.  Households with incomes over $100,000 receive more than twice as many periodicals as households earning less than $35,000.
  
  
  Periodicals Received by Income and Age of Household Head
  (Pieces per household per week)

• Household size:  Households with two adults receive more periodicals than one-person households (1.3 pieces v. 8 pieces per week), but the presence of additional adults beyond two does not translate into more periodicals received.
  
  
• Households with Internet access receive more periodicals than those without access.  This is reflective of household characteristics such as income and education. Households with broadband and dial-up access average 1.1 periodicals a week while homes without Internet access average .8 periodicals per week.
  
  
• The distribution of subscription types has remained relatively stable for 20+ years. In 2008, subscription types received:
  
  
  • Paid subscriptions, 44%
  • Free subscriptions (ordered or received as a prerogative of membership in an organization), 7%
  • Gift subscriptions, 4%
  • Free (not ordered), 29%
  • Subscriptions received, but not ordered or paid for, 1%
    
    Note: percentage does not total 100 due to the exclusion of periodicals sent to non-households and those to which no response was given as to subscription type.
    

• Most publications are produced by commercial or professional organizations. 2007 publications by sender:
  
  
  • Sent by commercial organizations, 78%
  • Sent by professional organizations, 9%
  • Sent by religious organizations, 4%
  • Sent by educational organizations, 5%
  • Unions, charities, veterans’ organizations, and others sent the rest.

Take-Away:

This study, performed annually since 1987 by the US Postal Service, provides a consistent look at households' attitudes towards mail received.  Magazines and newspapers arrive in the household mainly because of consumer choice. Consumers value them and they remain a desirable, viable component in the marketing mix.

Complexity rating of original source: 1
(Complex statistical analysis scale:  1= none, 2= moderate, 3 = difficult)

Link to The Household Diary Study: Mail Use & Attitudes in FY 2008 at USPS.