Manfred Knoche, Axel Zerdick u.a.
Bedeutung des Postzeitungsdienstes und Preiserhöhungsakzeptanz in der Bevölkerung - Ergebnisse von Leser- und Abonnentenbefragungen
Nr. 67 / Juni 1991 Summary The importance of the postal newspaper and periodical delivery service and the readiness of subscribers to pay higher subscription fees was investigated by means of three representative surveys which covered the territory of the former Federal Republic. The results of the studies illustrate generally the quantitative importance of subscriptions. In particular, they show that the postal delivery service is of great importance for periodicals that associations an the like send to their members.
Here an equally with respect to commercially distributed newspapers and consumer periodicals, for which delivery directly by the publisher and sale by retailers are in part playing a dominant role, one can notice a strong identification of the reader with his or her subscription. This identification obviously increases the readiness of subscribers to accept rising subscription fees. Only a forth of the interviewed people would presumably cancel the subscription of their newspaper respectively periodical in case of a substantial increase in the subscription fee. The basic reason for the great readiness to rising prices is the low "price-consciousness" regarding the outlays for subscriptions.
Because of the importance of other distribution possibilities increases in the tariffs for the newspaper and periodical delivery service would only in part translate into increased subscriptions. One can draw the conclusion that increases in subcription fees due to increases in the tariffs for the postal newspaper and periodical delivery service would not cause a high amount of cancellations. Further one can say that tariff increases in this postal service would endanger the profitability of publishing houses and restrict the information flow ro readers is to be considered as very small.
[Only German language version available.]