6 Post
6
Recent developments
Satisfaction with postal services has long been a feature of the communications market in
Scotland; again, delivery times and reliability were rated highly by consumers in Scotland in
2013.
In the past year there has been a focus on rural delivery issues that sit outside Royal Mail’s
quality of service measures. Late in 2012, Citizens Advice Scotland highlighted the issue of
parcel delivery charges in its report The Postcode Penalty. A code of practice was published
in 2014, with Scottish Government backing, and retailers and businesses were urged to sign
up to it.
Residents of Caithness and Sutherland started campaigning to have their postcode altered,
as it covers a wide geographic area that includes the island of Orkney, which can lead to
delivery surcharges by carriers other than Royal Mail.
The Scottish Parliament has a cross-party group on postal issues which takes an interest in
the universal service obligation, Post Offices, and protecting vulnerable and disadvantaged
postal users in Scotland.
Sending post: residential customers
Almost six in ten adults in Scotland say they only use post if there is no alternative
When asked about their attitudes to various statements concerning sending and receiving
post, 57% of adults in Scotland say they only use this method of communication if there is no
alternative, compared to just 40% across the UK as a whole.
Figure Attitudes to sending / receiving post
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents (n = 4823 UK, 830 Scotland)
QH2A-H. Agreement with statements about sending/ receiving post
Scotland UK
I trust second class post to get there in a reasonable timeframe 82 62
I prefer to send letters or emails to companies rather than make a phone call, so
that I have a written record 68 61
I love to send and receive letters and cards 58 60
I prefer to send emails rather than letters whenever possible 57 55
I only use post if there is no alternative 57 40
I only send my mail first class if it needs to get there the next day 53 48
I would feel cut off from society if I can't send or don't receive post 51 53
I send fewer letters by post now due to the cost 28 27
95
One in four adults in Scotland have not sent any post in the past month
A quarter of adults living in Scotland (25%) said they had not sent any post in the past
month, compared to just 16% of those in Wales. However, among those who had sent post,
those in Scotland were more likely than the rest of the UK to have sent over 20 items (10%
vs. 6% across the UK).
Figure Approximate number of items of post sent each month (residential)
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents (n = 4823 UK, 2761 England, 830 Scotland, 557 Wales, 675 Northern Ireland)
QC1. Approximately how many items of post - including letters, cards and parcels - have you
personally sent in the past month?
Over two-fifths of adults in Scotland have sent a parcel in the past month
Forty three per cent of adults in Scotland claim to have sent a parcel in the past month.
When asked to consider how much they had spent on postage in the past month, 45% of
adults in Scotland claim to have spent over £4, with an average spend of £.
20 20 25 16
33
21 21
21
17
19
19 19
16
26
13
26 27 22 26
21
8 8 6 8 7
6 5 10 7 7
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Adults 16+ England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Don't know
21+ items
11-20 items
5-10 items
3 or 4 items
1 or 2 items
None
Items of post sent per month (% of respondents)
Mean number of items sent per month
96
Figure Type of post sent in the last month
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All who have personally sent any items of post in the last week (n = 3817 UK, 2192 England,
652 Scotland, 502 Wales, 471 Northern Ireland)
QC5. Which of these types of mail would you say you have personally sent in the last month by post?
(multicode)
Adults in Scotland are more likely than those in other nations to use a Post Office
counter to send parcels
Adults in Scotland are more likely than those in the other nations to go to the Post Office
counter in order to send a parcel (71% vs. 58% across the UK).
Figure Methods used to send parcels
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All who have sent any parcels in the last month (n = 1511 UK, 860 England, 270 Scotland, 197
Wales, 184 Northern Ireland)
QC20. You said earlier that you have sent one or more parcels in the last month... When you sent
these parcels, which of these methods did you use? (multicode)
42
30
34
54
37
22
43
32 34
53
37
22
35
20
30
59
42
20
35
24
32
65
34
18
32 33
25
54
39
21
0
20
40
60
80
Formal letters Payments for bills Personal letters Invitations/ greetings
cards/ postcards
Larger parcels Smaller parcels
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Proportion of consumers (%)
Net personal mail:
UK = 71%
England = 70%
Scotland = 73%
Wales = 76%
N Ireland = 68%
Net formal mail:
UK = 58%
England = 60%
Scotland = 46%
Wales = 49%
N Ireland = 54%
Net parcels:
UK = 39%
England = 39%
Scotland = 43%
Wales = 35%
N Ireland = 41%
58
15
4 4 3
57
14
4 4 3
71
13
6 4 1
46
23
2 4 3
54
12
4 1 2
0
20
40
60
80
Post Office counter Royal Mail Postbox Online collection and
delivery service
Other over the counter
services
Don't know
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Proportion of consumers (%)
97
Those in Scotland are more likely than all UK adults to have reduced, and to continue
to reduce, the amount of post they send
When asked about how the amount of post they send has changed in recent times, people in
Scotland are more likely than the UK average to say they now send less (-12% net). They
also anticipate that they will further reduce their use of post in the future (-11% net).
Figure Net claimed change in amount of post sent in the last two years
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2012-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents (n = 4823 UK, 2761 England, 830 Scotland, 557 Wales, 675 N Ireland)
QC10: Compared with two years ago, would you say that the number of items you send through the
post has...increased greatly, increased slightly, stayed the same, decreased slightly, decreased
greatly? (Multiple choice)
Note: chart shows net (% who claim use has increased - % those who claim use has decreased)
Figure Predicted change in amount of post sent in two years’ time
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents (n = 4823 UK, 2761 England, 830 Scotland, 557 Wales, 675 N Ireland)
QC16: Looking to the future... Compared with now, would you say that the number of letters, cards
and parcels you will be sending in the post two years from now will have.....increased greatly,
increased slightly, stayed the same, decreased slightly, decreased greatly?
Note: chart shows net (% who claim use will increase - % those who their use will decrease)
-6 % -5 %
-12 % -12 %
-6
-20 %
-10 %
0 %
10 %
20 %
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
-3 %
-1 %
-11 %
-13 %
-2
-20 %
-10 %
0 %
10 %
20 %
Adults 16+ England Scotland Wales N Ireland
98
Receiving post: residential customers
Those living in Scotland claim to receive the most items of post each week, compared
to the rest of the UK
The average number of letters, cards and parcels received by households in Scotland ()
is much higher than the UK average of items received per week. This is largely driven by
the finding that almost a third of respondents in Scotland (32%) claim to have received more
than ten items in the past week, compared to just 24% across the UK as a whole.
Figure Approximate number of items received in the past week (residential)
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents (n = 4823 UK, 2761 England, 830 Scotland, 557 Wales, 675 Northern Ireland)
QD1. Approximately how many items of post – including letters, cards and parcels – have you
personally received in the last week
People in Scotland say the amount of post they receive has increased over the last
two years, driven in part by an increase in the amount of parcels received
When asked to compare the amount of post they receive now with what they typically
received two years ago, over one in four adults in Scotland (27% net) think the amount has
increased. Almost a third of these (31%) say that the number of parcels they now receive
has increased, compared to just 19% across the UK as a whole (Figure ).
6 6 6 4 10
16 16 12 14
26
18 17 19 14
25
35 35
30 41
26
18 18
24 19
9
6 6 8 7 4
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Don't know
21+ items
11-20 items
5-10 items
3 or 4 items
1 or 2 items
None
Items of post received per week (% of respondents)
Mean number of items received per week
99
Figure Type of items received more often
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents who say that the number of items received by post has increased, compared to
two years ago (n = 1197 UK, 705 England, 207 Scotland, 140 Wales, 145 Northern Ireland)
QD6. Which of these types of addressed items are you personally receiving more often through the
post now? (multicode)
Attitudes towards Royal Mail
Adults living in Scotland are more satisfied than the rest of the UK with the cost of
postage
Eighty nine per cent of people in Scotland are ‘very’ or ‘quite’ satisfied with Royal Mail
overall. Figure shows that this satisfaction is seen across all aspects of Royal Mail’s
service, in particular the cost of postage: 68% of adults in Scotland express satisfaction with
this, compared to just 55% across the whole of the UK.
21
29
37
31
7 7
19
22
19
7
21
31
36
32
7 8
18
22
18
8
20 20
43
22
7
3
31
21 20
0
18
31
49
19
3
5
16
25
35
4
23
14
16
44
12
16
23
33
21
4
0
20
40
60
Letters from
organisation
you have a
relationship
with
Standard
circulars from
organisations
you have a
relationship
with
Addressed
direct mail
from other
organisations
Bills/
invoices/
statements
Personal
letters
Invitations/
greetings
cards
Larger
parcels
Smaller
parcels
Catalogues/
brochures
Subscription
magazines
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Proportion of consumers (%)
100
Figure Satisfaction with specific aspects of Royal Mail’s service
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents (n = 4823 UK, 830 Scotland)
QE3A-F. Satisfaction with specific aspects of Royal Mail’s services (very or quite satisfied)
Ranked by proportion satisfied among Scotland adults
55%
75%
79%
81%
86%
87%
68%
84%
88%
90%
91%
96%
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Cost of postage
Time of day post is delivered
Number of post boxes and Post offices
Location of post boxes and Post Offices
Length of time to reach its destination
Security of the service
Scotland
UK
101
Sending and receiving post: business customers
Over six in ten businesses in Scotland send fewer than 25 letters each month
Sixty one per cent of organisations based in Scotland say they send fewer than 25 letters
each month. Compared to those in Wales, business customers in Scotland are more likely
to send over 100 letters on a monthly basis (16% vs. 11%).
Figure Average volume of letters sent each month
Source: Ofcom Business Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents (n = 1524 UK, 911 England, 223 Scotland, 208 Wales, 182 N Ireland)
QV2a. On average, how many letter items does your organisation send per month? Please think only
about all the letters and large letters you may send as an organisation.
One in four businesses in Scotland frank their First and Second Class letters
Although a lower proportion than in the UK as a whole, 62% of businesses in Scotland send
their letters using standard First Class stamps (69% across the UK). However, almost one
in four (24%) business customers in Scotland frank their letters, compared to 19% across
the UK and just 16% in Wales.
59 59 61 60
40
16 16 13 18
19
11 11 10
10
18
10 10 9
8
15
4 4 7 3 8
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
250+
100-249
50-99
25-49
0-24
Proportion of respondents (%)
102
Figure Royal Mail services used to send letters
Source: Ofcom Business Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents using RM standard delivery services (n = 1380 UK, 828 England, 202 Scotland,
180 Wales, 170 N Ireland)
QV6d. Which, if any, of the following Royal Mail services does your organisation use to send your
standard mail?
Around four-fifths of businesses in Scotland are satisfied with the postal service they
receive from Royal Mail
Seventy nine per cent of business customers in Scotland say they are satisfied with the
service they receive from Royal Mail, with 36% saying they are ‘very satisfied’.
69
57
44
26
10 9
15
70
57
45
26
9 8
15
62
57
37
31
13 11
18
72
55
35
26
9 7
12
54
66
29
32
12 14
16
Standard First
Class stamp
Standard
Second Class
stamp
Large letter First
Class
Large letter
Second Class
Franked First
Class
Franked
Second Class
Standard
parcels
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Proportion of respondents (%)
103
Figure Overall satisfaction with the service from Royal Mail
Source: Ofcom Residential Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents who use Royal Mail (n = 1492 UK, 886 England, 220 Scotland, 205 Wales, 181
Northern Ireland)
QRM2. Thinking generally about the service your organisation receives as a whole, on a scale of 1 to
5 where 1 is very dissatisfied and 5 is very satisfied, how satisfied are you with the overall quality of
the services you receive from Royal Mail as a recipient and sender?
Over three in four businesses in Scotland are satisfied with the reliability of
collections
When asked about satisfaction with specific aspects of postal services in Scotland, 77% of
respondents expressed satisfaction with the reliability of collections (69% across the UK)
and 72% said they were happy with collection times (66% across the UK).
32 31 36 35
43
42 43
43 39
41
18 19 16 20
11
5 5 3 4 32 2 3
1 1
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Very
dissatisfied
Fairly
dissatisfied
Neither
satisfied nor
dissatisfied
Fairly satisfied
Very satisfied
75% 79% 75% 85%
Satisfaction with Royal Mail (% of respondents )
Total who are satisfied with Royal Mail
74%
104
Figure Satisfaction with specific aspects of Royal Mail’s service
Source: Ofcom Business Postal Tracker, Q2 2013-Q1 2014
Base: All respondents who use Royal Mail (n = 1422 UK, 220 Scotland)
QRM3: How would you rate the performance of Royal Mail, as a recipient and sender, in the following
areas on a 5 point scale where 1 is very dissatisfied and 5 is very satisfied?
Ranked by satisfaction levels in Scotland
28%
60%
66%
66%
70%
75%
76%
69%
30%
66%
67%
72%
74%
76%
76%
77%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Price of postage
Delivery time
Latest collection time
Time of collection
Delivery consistency / reliability
Amount of lost mail
Availability of a daily collection
Collection reliability
Scotland
UK
Proportion of respondents (%)
105
Introduction
Key findings for Scotland
A majority of SMEs in Scotland rate communications services as fundamental to their business
The majority of SMEs in Scotland have broadband internet
Most SMEs in Scotland using online applications
Over a third of Scottish SMEs do not feel confident in their ability to identify new communications products or services
Most SMEs in Scotland are satisfied with communications at an overall level…
…but satisfaction is lower with ADSL broadband
A third of Scottish SMEs report having experienced poor mobile coverage
Almost 4 in 10 Scottish SMEs report having experienced poor reliability of their internet connection
Most SMEs in Scotland say the needs of their business are well catered for by the communications industry
Mobile users in Scotland have higher expectations of their network’s performance than do users in the other nations
Overall satisfaction with mobile networks is highest in Scotland
Overall satisfaction with mobile networks is higher in urban than in rural areas
Among mobile phone users in Scotland, mobile internet speed causes the greatest levels of dissatisfaction
Satisfaction with making calls in various locations in Scotland is generally high
In Scotland, use of the internet on mobile phones is most likely in users’ own homes
Problems with mobile internet access and speed each affect around half of those who use the internet on their mobile phone
Two-thirds of those who have experienced problems with making calls or using the internet on their phone did not take any action to try and solve them
Around half of mobile phone users in Scotland who use their phone for sending texts or for voice calls do so while travelling2F
‘Lack of need’ is the main reason for not using a mobile phone when travelling by road
Just over one in ten of those using their mobile phone while travelling by road in Scotland are dissatisfied with their ability to make and receive calls
A third of those who had switched mobile phone network in Scotland recalled their new supplier checking the network coverage for them
Introduction
Methodology
Glasgow
Glasgow has a population of about million, with residential premises accounting for 95% of all premises
Next generation access (NGA) is available to 67% of premises in Glasgow
Glasgow has 33 exchanges, 17 of which have been upgraded to NGA
In Glasgow, the areas of greatest deprivation are those where NGA broadband is least available
In Glasgow, the most income-deprived areas had the highest proportion of ‘<2Mbit/s’ connections
Glasgow’s low fixed broadband take-up continues, but has improved
Is this a genuine increase? Yes, but changes in respondent profile explains some of the increase.
Demographic differences go some way to explaining Glasgow’s low fixed-broadband take-up.
The increase in broadband take-up has been driven mainly by increases in take-up among people under 35 and over 45.
The increase in broadband take-up has been driven by increases in take-up among people in social class C.
Inverness
Inverness has a population of 37,000, with residential premises accounting for 93% of all premises
Next generation access is available to 2% of premises in Inverness16F
Inverness has three copper exchanges, one of which has been upgraded to NGA
Summary of public interventions
Introduction
Key findings
Television on a TV set dominates peak-time media consumption, while text communications are popular during the daytime
Consumers in Scotland spend the most time consuming media across an average day
Consumers in Scotland spend nearly two and a half hours a day communicating via media
Television remains resilient in Scotland, where four in ten media minutes are spent watching TV on a TV set
Despite the rise in ownership of tablets, traditional media devices still account for a majority of media consumption
Channel 3 and Channel 5 licence renewal
Channel 4 licence renewal
BBC focus on the referendum and the Commonwealth Games
Local TV
Government developments
Production and commission updates
DTT and satellite remain the most widely-used platforms
Seven in ten households in Scotland have HD-ready TV sets
Eight per cent of households in Scotland have a smart TV
Fewer adults in Scotland use on-demand services than in the rest of the UK
Scotland has fewer catch-up TV users than the UK average
Scotland has the lowest proportion of YouTube viewers
People in Scotland spent on average hours per day watching TV
Over half (52%) of all viewing is to the five main PSB channels
The combined share of the five main PSB channels has declined by 9pp since 2008
Between 2008 and 2013, there was a nine percentage point reduction (to 52%) in the combined share of the five main PSB channels in Scotland. This reduction was the least among the devolved nations and the same as the average decrease across the UK (Fi...
The total share for the main PSBs and their family of channels decreased by between 2008 and 2013, less than the UK average net loss
BBC One’s and STV’s early evening news bulletins attracted greater share in Scotland than the UK average
Scotland has the highest proportion of adults using the television to keep up with Scottish national news.
In a change from previous years, historical financial figures are presented in nominal terms and not adjusted for inflation. The reason for this is to align the CMR suite of reports and to provide a ‘base’ view of the overall market to inform any furt...
PSB spend on first-run originated content for viewers in Scotland remained stable in 2013.
Total spend on nations’ programming in Scotland was up 1% year on year
Expenditure in Scotland on PSB non-network programming remained stable year on year
Total first-run originated hours for Scotland has increased more than any other nation since 2008
Total cost per hour on total nations’ output for Scotland has decreased by 27% since 2008 – the highest across the nations
BBC Alba
Scotland’s share of expenditure on originated network production increased in 2013
Scotland produced a greater share of originated production hours than in any of the previous five years
Real Radio Scotland has been rebranded as Heart
Five new community radio stations are available to listeners in Scotland
Scotland continues to have the lowest reach for radio among the UK nations
Local commercial stations are more popular in Scotland than in other nations
There has been a decline in listening to BBC Radio Scotland
More than four in ten households in Scotland now have a digital radio set
One third of all listening in Scotland was through a digital platform
Commercial radio revenue per head of population was highest in Scotland
Eight in ten households in Scotland have internet access
Four in ten households in Scotland have a tablet computer
One in six adults in Scotland use an e-reader
The laptop is no longer the most import device for getting online for most internet users in Scotland
Internet users in Scotland spend the most time online of all the devolved nations
Two- thirds of broadband users in Scotland purchase goods and services online
ADSL broadband services are available to almost all UK premises
Over a third of premises in Scotland were able to receive cable broadband services in June 2014
Scotland had the lowest proportion of premises that could receive fibre broadband services in June 2014
Just under two-thirds of premises in Scotland were able to receive NGA broadband services by June 2014
Overview
% of premises in Scotland were in areas with 2G mobile coverage in June 2014
By June 2014 % of premises in Scotland were in areas with 3G mobile coverage
Almost three-quarters of UK premises were in areas with outdoor 4G coverage in June 2014
Take-up of communications services is in line with the UK averages in Scotland
Broadband take-up is lower than average among over-65s and C2DE households
Over half of all adults in Scotland said that they had used a mobile phone to access the internet
One in seven households in Scotland is mobile-only
Over two-thirds of mobile phone users in Scotland use a smartphone
Two-thirds of mobile connections in Scotland are post-pay contracts
Satisfaction with the ability to connect to the internet using their mobile network was highest among smartphone users in Scotland
Eighty-eight per cent of fixed broadband users in Scotland are satisfied with their service
Satisfaction with the speed of fixed broadband services was unchanged in the year to Q1 2014
Almost six in ten adults in Scotland say they only use post if there is no alternative
Base: All respondents (n = 4823 UK, 830 Scotland)
QH2A-H. Agreement with statements about sending/ receiving post
One in four adults in Scotland have not sent any post in the past month
Over two-fifths of adults in Scotland have sent a parcel in the past month
Adults in Scotland are more likely than those in other nations to use a Post Office counter to send parcels
Base: All who have sent any parcels in the last month (n = 1511 UK, 860 England, 270 Scotland, 197 Wales, 184 Northern Ireland)
QC20. You said earlier that you have sent one or more parcels in the last month... When you sent these parcels, which of these methods did you use? (multicode)
Those in Scotland are more likely than all UK adults to have reduced, and to continue to reduce, the amount of post they send
Those living in Scotland claim to receive the most items of post each week, compared to the rest of the UK
People in Scotland say the amount of post they receive has increased over the last two years, driven in part by an increase in the amount of parcels received
Adults living in Scotland are more satisfied than the rest of the UK with the cost of postage
Over six in ten businesses in Scotland send fewer than 25 letters each month
Sixty one per cent of organisations based in Scotland say they send fewer than 25 letters each month. Compared to those in Wales, business customers in Scotland are more likely to send over 100 letters on a monthly basis (16% vs. 11%).
One in four businesses in Scotland frank their First and Second Class letters
Around four-fifths of businesses in Scotland are satisfied with the postal service they receive from Royal Mail
Over three in four businesses in Scotland are satisfied with the reliability of collections
