Imagine if you could get a glimpse inside the minds of voters to find out how to win their trust, and their vote. What questions would you ask?
Would you ask:
- What campaign ads convey credibility?
- What helps you make your voting decision?
- What campaign outreach technique persuades you the most?
When given the opportunity to explore the voter mindset through a post-election campaign communications exit poll, these are the questions the United States Postal Service® asked 900 Virginia voters who – days before or, for some, just a few hours prior – had voted in the most expensive governor’s race in Virginia history (according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project).
The Postal Service® teamed up with the American Association of Political Consultants to convert these survey results into their newest study, “The Credibility Factor: What One Competitive Race Tells Us About Winning Elections in 2018.” The findings from this survey give campaigns insight into the voter mindset – illustrating the ways that political outreach can most effectively capture voters’ attention.
Here’s what we found from this survey of Virginia voters:
- Mail is the most credible form of political outreach.*
- Direct Mail and Television advertising are the two most persuasive forms of political outreach.*
- Television advertising and direct mail are #1 and #2 for helping voters make a decision.*
We discovered that surveyed voters’ behavior matched the attitudes they expressed. More than 80 percent of surveyed voters check their mailbox at least five times a week, and nearly 50 percent of them said that after receiving a mail piece with information about a candidate or candidates, they’re likely to go to the internet to learn more about that race.
These surveyed voters told us that mail is persuasive, credible, and nearly half of them believe that mail had an impact on their voting decision. But those are just a few of the insights we gained from this exit poll. Download the full white paper, “The Credibility Factor”, here.
Whether you’re interested in learning more about these insights, mail piece design analysis, or operational support, the Postal Service is committed to helping you and your campaign. If you would like to talk to a direct mail specialist, please contact us directly or visit us at www.deliverthewin.com.
*Statistics are sourced from a joint white paper by USPS and American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC), “The Credibility Factor”