Seventy-five percent of Canadians plan to send about 20 holiday cards this year; 87% of young Canadians say they prefer receiving cards via mail with two thirds suggesting it had stronger meaning than electronic alternative

Kendall Sinclair

OTTAWA, Ontario , December 6, 2011 (press release) – The 2nd annual survey conducted by Harris/Decima on behalf of Canada Post shows that greeting cards continue to be an essential tradition during the holidays – and one that permeates through younger generations, even if social media and electronic alternatives are prevalent in their lives.

Overall, 75% of Canadians are planning to send an average of 20 cards this year, compared to 80% sending 19 cards in 2010. The majority (87%)of young Canadians (between 18 and 24) indicated they preferred receiving holiday cards in the mail with two thirds suggesting it had much stronger meaning than an electronic alternative. Three quarters of them were planning to send cards in the mail. Comparatively, Canadians between 35 and 44 admitted that they would most likely send cards electronically, mainly due to lack of time.

“Sending cards to loved ones is a timeless holiday ritual, says Mary Traversy, Senior Vice President, Mail at Canada Post. Even as social media and electronics are integral to our lives, we become rather traditional when it comes to the holiday season. It is the one time of year when you get to take a few minutes to connect with people around you and taking the time to send a card still is considered the best way to show you care.”

Other survey findings:

Greeting cards’ lasting effect: Those who received greeting cards admitted that they either displayed them (32%) then recycled them (25%), saved them as keepsakes (25%), use them for crafts (8%)or tree ornaments/gift tags (6%).

Good intentions, lack of time: 1 in 5 Canadians admitted that they bought holiday cards with the intention of sending them but never got around to it.

Pay it forward effect: 14% of Canadians said that in the past two years they sent holiday greeting cards to someone only after they received one.

Geography matters: Nearly 1 in 4 Quebecers suggested they are most likely not to send either greeting cards through the mail or electronically, however 3 in 4 still prefer to receive greeting cards by mail!. By comparison, Atlantic Canadians are most likely to send cards through the mail with an average of 24 and almost 9 in 10 prefer to receive greeting cards by mail.

The results are based on a survey of 1,007 Canadian adults (age 18 and over) conducted by telephone between Oct. 13 and Oct. 17, weighted to reflect the adult Canadian population by region, gender and age. The margin of error is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

Holiday cards and packages can be sent through Canada Post to anywhere in the world. To find the holiday season suggested mailing dates go to canadapost.ca/mailingdates.

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