U.S. adults are more likely to have a positive (46%) than negative (28%) reaction to seeing a catalog in the mail, reports Gallup in a recent survey.
Americans 65 and older are more likely than younger adults to enjoy checking the mail, but 36% of Americans under 30 also feel this way.
While adults’ feelings are generally neutral about seeing a letter from a business (30% positive; 34% neutral; 30% negative), the same can’t be said for advertising cards or fliers, which are more than twice as likely to engender a negative (51%) than positive (22%) reaction.
The positive feedback to receiving letters and cards is consistent by age. Nearly all (95%) of 18-29-year-olds say they feel positively about getting a personal letter, including 30% who feel very positively, higher than any other age group.
Those who say they look forward to getting the mail each day are generally more positive about getting every type of item than those who don’t think much about checking the mail.
The difference between the “anticipate mail” group and the more indifferent group is particularly pronounced when it comes to receiving magazines and catalogs.
Much of this gap could be due to the consumer and media preferences of those who do not think much about the checking the mail, including the fact that younger and middle-aged Americans may simply be less likely to receive catalogs and magazines.