The Postal Service IG is conducting a study, with a report expected in April, of the government’s means of communicating with the public, and specifically whether the practice of migrating messages to electronic form as a cost-saver is lessening their effectiveness.
The IG noted in an announcement of the study that agencies are making greater use of social media and other electronic communication but said “there are times when electronic communication alone just won’t do the trick. And if a government agency wants you to take some action, physical mail may get a better response than email.”
Federal agencies spent $468 million on postal mailings in 2014, the announcement said; it did not provide past year figures for comparison but the upcoming report likely will.
The announcement is here: https://www.uspsoig.gov/audit-project/15rg003ms000
