Americans in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll claim they don’t use the U.S. Postal Service much— at least not to send mail. But nearly two in three say it would be a serious problem if the Post Office were forced to shut down-and more than a third think that would be a very serious problem.
The potential difficulties if there were a Postal Service shutdown are seen by people in every region, every age group, and every party. That is true even though many Americans claim that they don’t use the service very much. In fact, fewer than one in four in the poll says they mail letters or bills at least once a week. Only 14% of those under 30 say they use it once a week or more — and nearly as many in that group claim they never use outgoing mail.
Most Americans see two ways of keeping the Postal Service from shutting down: two in three would end Saturday deliveries of mail, and half are willing to close some Post Offices. But the public divides on raising mail rates and more oppose laying off workers than support that approach.
Would you support or oppose the U.S. Postal Service taking the following measures to cut costs or raise revenues in order to prevent a shut down?
| Support | Neither support, nor oppose | Oppose | Not sure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Closing some | 52% | 23% | 18% | 7% |
Ending Saturday | 65% | 14% | 15% | 5% |
Raising postage | 36% | 24% | 34% | 7% |
Laying off | 31% | 25% | 37% | 8% |
Those in the Northeast are most likely to favor closing Post Offices. But they are more likely than those in other regions to oppose raising postal rates. Republicans oppose raising postal rates; they are more willing to lay off workers.
Photo source: Press Association
