You might think in this era of constant emails and social media postings that old-style paper Christmas or holiday cards and formatted letters summarizing a family’s year might be peculiarities. Not so. In a modern age, our behavior still trends toward the traditional.
The Saint Leo University poll found 43 percent of respondents send stock cards, and another 22 percent send either custom-printed cards or custom photo cards. That means that more than two-thirds of people are mailing paper holiday greetings.
What’s more, people are eager to read what they receive in physical mailboxes. When asked how much attention they pay to one- or two-page form letters that are compilations of family news from friends, 62 percent of respondents said they read the letters carefully. Another 24 percent at least skim the letters or look them over.
“People understand the world around them through stories,” Dr. Diane Monahan, a Saint Leo University communication scholar, said in commenting on why people are eager to read one another’s letters, even when they are form letters and only annual events. “We still find a need for these stories even if it’s only once a year.”
The online survey of 1002 adults was conducted December 1-6 and has a margin of error of about three percent.
To view poll results click here.