Although many Americans today rely on electronic forms of communication, they still believe there is a need for the U.S. Postal Service. But they’re okay with cutting back snail mail delivery to five days a week.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 31% of Adults think the government should consider selling the money-losing Postal Service to a private company. Fifty percent (50%) disagree and think it should remain in the public sector. Nineteen percent (19%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The Postal Service is seeking Congress’ permission to drop Saturday mail delivery as a way to cut costs, and 52% of Americans think that’s a good idea. But that’s down six points from 58% last March. Thirty-four percent (34%) now want to keep Saturday delivery, while 14% more are not sure.
In July, 68% said they would rather see mail delivery cut to five days a week and avoid raising the price of stamps as opposed to keeping the six-day delivery and raising stamp prices.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on February 13-14, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Most Americans continue to give the USPS high marks as they have for several years. Sixty-four percent (64%) rate its performance as good or excellent, consistent with previous findings. Just 11% say the Postal Service is doing a poor job.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) think it is at least somewhat likely that there will still be a need for the Postal Service in 10 years, down six points from May 2009. Just 15% say it is not likely there will still be a need for the service. These findings include 42% who see it’s Very Likely and a mere three percent (3%) who say it is Not At All Likely.
Interestingly, younger adults feel as strongly about the continuing need for the Postal Service as older adults do.
Just one percent (1%) of adults said in a survey in July that they use the U.S. mail the most to communicate with friends and family. But an earlier separate survey found that most adults (52%) still used the mail to pay their bills.
Sixty-two percent (62%) of Democrats and a plurality (47%) of adults not affiliated with either major party oppose selling the USPS to a private company. Republicans are almost evenly divided on the question.
In July, 52% of all adults said private companies should be able to compete with the Postal Service by offering mail delivery. But 36% said mail service would be worse if run by a private company. Federal law now prohibits private companies from competing with the Postal Service for mail delivery.
Nearly half of American adults say postage stamps cost too much. But if they were charged a small amount for each e-mail they sent, 37% say they would stop sending e-mails altogether.
source: Rasmussen Reports –Americans Want to Keep Postal Service Public But Cut Delivery to Five Days
Today 500 people in Management for the USPS were ask to take a Poll. And lo n behold, the people of the United States have spoken, they want 5 day delivery !!!
Next poll will be taken on Tues,, Titled
“Do we really need all these Carriers, or should we cut more and make their routes even Bigger”
actually, I dont think that
pat is so far off base.after carrying for 26 years i am just tired of the 9hr + days with pivoting.
it would be interesting to know just how many carriers actually support 6 day delivery vs. 5 day.
Sirs,
How about printing the truth. The Congress has engineered the entire postal “financial crisis” by 1) forcing the Postal Service a “tax” of $5.5 billion a year that no other agency pays, and 2) refuses to return the overcharges to the retirement plans that total about $60 billion since 1970.
If Cingress was honest (contradiction in terms) they would legislate the fix instead of legislating the downfall of the Postal Service. They, the Congress, are completely responsible for the money issues the Postal Service faces.
Numerous audits have shown the Postal Service would be solvent without congressional meddling and stealing.
But, you know the motto of Congress, if it isn’t broke, fix it until it is.
“IF” carrier “pat” works for the USPS, with only six years in, depending on his
location relative to an FSS MACHINE in his area, he will be one of the unlucky
ones….the numbers of City Carriers that the USPS plans to eliminate because
of these machines is staggering.
The basic fact is that the Postal Service DOES NOT NEED TO STOP SATURDAY
DELIVERY, and it shouldn’t…..
Rasmussen, the conservative favored “bean counter and soothsayer”
NEVER CALLS ME…OR ANYONE ELSE I KNOW….
The true value of the Postal Service is THAT IT IS WHAT IT IS, AND HAS
BEEN FOR CENTURIES AND THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF IT….We steadfastly
do what we are supposed to do, year after year, decade after decade….
WE PROCESS AND DELIVER THE MAIL TO AND FOR AMERICA
NO MATTER WHAT…..
Why do the Conservative GOP BAGGERS want to change it in to
SOME KIND OF WALMART????
Pat’s another sap that just doesn’t want to work Sat.
Rasmussen Poll picked Sharon Angle to beat Harry Reid by 5 points and had her winning throughout the campaign.
Pat, I disagree with you. If we discontinue saturday delieveries the gates will open up for other business to take over our job. One bite one piece at a time. This will be the begining of our demise as a monopoly of mail service and along with this your job security. (In a nut shell.)
As a letter carrier for 6 years I have seen where the future of the postal service is going and it does not look good. I would love to have a job in twenty years and it’s not going to happen unless the postal service does something drastic. 90% of my customers do not see a problem with five day delivery and if we offer a increased price for Saturday delivery we can make some extra revenue off of the customers who still want it as well as the businesses who need it. There will always be a few carriers who want to work the overtime.
As far as the number of carriers fired, I know that the Union is lying about that figure. There has been a hiring freeze for almost the whole 6 years I have been here and the only hires that did happen were temporary employees with 1 year contracts. With the hiring freeze and the early retirements they were offering, it should be a minimal impact on the postal workforce if we go to five day delivery.
Please contact your elected representatives and ask them to support 5 day delivery.
Pat
I say cut service across America to just one day a week
Since Rasmussen is associated with Fake News, you know it’s complete bullsh*t!