Article 5 of the European Postal Directive lays down that the universal service should evolve ‘[…] in response to the technical, economic and social environment and to the needs of users’. That is why BIPT publishes every three years a study to monitor and map the needs of postal users.

The consumer preferences have been analysed by means of a quantitative survey on the one hand and a complementary qualitative survey on the other. By combining the two research methods it is possible to perform a more in-depth analysis of the needs of residential and professional postal users.

Both surveys are important for all stakeholders. On the one hand users are informed about current and future challenges of the UPS. On the other, operators get an insight into the needs of the postal users, so that they can zero in on them. Finally, the surveys make it easier for the legislator to make the supply side of the UPS correspond as much as possible with the demand side of the UPS.

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