The OIG (Office of Inspector General) has
conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey on the relative value
of some key services provided as part of the universal service obligation
(USO). This study is the first of its kind in the United States and was done in
conjunction with the market research firm Gallup and Professor Michael Bradley
of George Washington University’s Department of Economics.
The study, What Postal Services Do People Value the Most?
focused on four
attributes of the USO:
= mode of delivery,
= access to postal services,
= frequency
of delivery, and
= price.
This study is a follow-up to our white paper Guiding Principles for a New Universal Service Obligation in which we discuss the need for such a
study.
The survey found that both consumers and businesses still value postal
services, especially door and/or curb delivery instead of delivery to a cluster
box or parcel locker. Respondents also value the ability to access postal
services through post offices, rather than using other alternatives such as
postal counters in non-postal retail stores and self-service kiosks.
In
addition, while consumers and businesses are indifferent when it comes to the
Saturday delivery of letters, consumers still place value on the Saturday
delivery of parcels. Furthermore, consumers and businesses also value lower
prices and may be willing to accept lower levels of service to keep prices from
rising sharply.
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