New Survey: Direct Mail Tops TV, Digital Ads in Helping Swing Voters Decide

According to a new survey, more than half of swing voters responding (58 percent) said direct mail is either “very helpful” or “somewhat helpful” in deciding how and whom to vote for, beating out television (55 percent), online (48 percent) and email (46 percent). Approximately one of three registered voters surveyed identified as a swing voter. Among those surveyed, 14 percent said they were “undecided,” and 18 percent said they “might change their minds.”

Not only do swing voters find mail helpful, the majority of them read it. The online survey, conducted by Summit Research, found 54 percent of swing voters surveyed say they read political direct mail immediately upon receiving it and 24 percent will save it to read later. There’s opportunity for campaigns: 52 percent of swing voters surveyed say they’ve not received any political mail at their residences. In comparison, 80 percent of these swing voters report seeing political television ads.

“When political races are tight, campaigns need to know what influences swing voters,” said Cliff Rucker, vice president of Sales for the United States Postal Service. “Political mail spending has increased nationally by 50 percent since the last presidential election. As campaigns use more mail, it’s all the more reason to explore mail’s impact.”

According to the Postal Service, spending on political mail increased from $176 million (October 2011–July 2012) to $268 million (October 2015–July 2016).