Table A3-32
Standard Mail Treatment of Mail Piece by Shape
(Percentage of Mail Pieces Received by Households)
Postal Fiscal Years 1987, 2006 and 2007
(Diary Data)
Treatment Letter Size Envelope Larger Than Letter Size Envelope Detached Label Postcard Postcard
1987 2006 2007 1987 2006 2007 1987 2006 2007 1987 2006 2007
Read by member of household 44.5 30.5 31.6 44.0 33.3 35.2 30.8 22.9 25.3 50.1 41.7 41.5
Read by more than one member of household N/A 4.4 4.2 N/A 5.3 6.5 N/A 5.2 5.9 N/A 7.3 7.0
Looked at 26.1 20.0 19.5 26.0 18.7 17.9 33.8 23.4 24.6 24.7 17.8 18.1
Discarded 15.3 34.2 35.8 13.8 29.4 29.2 19.6 34.6 33.1 15.7 24.7 26.3
Set aside 4.8 2.5 2.6 8.8 4.4 5.1 3.9 1.8 1.9 2.2 2.0 1.9
Don't know/No answer 9.3 8.5 6.3 7.4 8.9 6.2 11.9 12.2 9.1 7.4 6.5 5.2
Total Mail Received by Households 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Treatment Catalog Not in Envelope Flyers Newspapers/ Magazines Total
1987 2006 2007 1987 2006 2007 1987 2006 2007 1987 2006 2007
Read by member of household 42.9 36.2 35.2 40.8 36.5 35.7 30.1 31.4 32.1 41.5 33.8 34.3
Read by more than one member of household N/A 10.8 11.2 N/A 9.3 8.2 N/A 14.6 14.8 N/A 7.6 7.6
Looked at 25.9 12.8 13.8 27.0 16.7 17.3 17.6 13.5 12.2 26.4 17.4 17.3
Discarded 9.7 16.2 18.1 15.1 23.8 26.2 9.4 16.4 19.1 14.0 26.2 27.6
Set aside 15.9 15.2 14.1 6.7 4.8 4.6 8.1 12.5 11.4 8.1 6.0 6.0
Don't know/No answer 5.6 8.8 7.7 10.5 8.9 7.9 34.9 11.6 10.5 10.0 9.1 7.2
Total Mail Received by Households 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
  This code was not presented in household diaries prior to 1992.
  Total includes pieces for which no response was given as to shape.
Note: Totals may not sum to 100 due to rounding.