Essential connections: Recognising the importance of postal services for young adults

In our increasingly digital society, postal services are often thought of as being in structural decline - a backstop relied on by those who didn’t grow up alongside card payments and online systems. However, our recent polling suggests a more complex picture: younger adults are actually using postal services more frequently than older people. [1] This includes using postal services to apply for jobs, manage their finances, and engage with government services. 

Today’s generation of young adults faces numerous challenges, searching for secure employment and navigating insecure housing against the backdrop of an extended cost of living crisis. This could be driving their increased interactions with postal services. Reviewing and enhancing the support available to help young adults cope with these challenges is a key priority for the government. With reviews of, and changes to, the Post Office network, Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation and the provision of in-person banking services underway, postal services’ role in young people’s social and economic participation should not be overlooked. 

The hidden reliance of young adults on postal services 

Our data shows 18-34 year olds use post offices more often than any other age group. Almost 1 in 4 (23%) younger adults use a post office at least weekly compared to less than 1 in 5 (17%) over 65s. This high usage isn’t limited to parcel services. Our data indicates younger adults use all post office services more frequently, including buying letter postage, paying bills, accessing cash and government services. 

Our data also suggests younger adults are more likely to send ‘high-stakes’ post, such as bill payments or letters to healthcare providers or financial services. We found around 1 in 4 18-34 year olds sent such a letter at least monthly over the last 6 months, compared to 1 in 10 over-35s.

Although perhaps surprising at first, these findings start to make sense when we consider how young adults’ circumstances shape their access to services and support, and the challenges facing today’s younger generation.

Labour market challenges and tight budgets: Postal services play a key role in young adults’ economic participation 

At Citizens Advice, we see first-hand how young people can struggle to manage complex life circumstances. We help around 280 of the youngest adults (18-24 year olds) with issues like benefits, debt and unemployment every day -  challenges recognised in the Young People and Work interim report. With fewer starter jobs available, today’s young adults face disproportionate levels of unemployment, economic inactivity and insecure work. Our latest data indicates post plays an important role in what is often a highly competitive job search.

Over 1 in 10 (11%) young adults sent a job application by post at least monthly over the last 6 months - more than 5 times the rate of 35-64 year olds. This figure doubles when looking at young jobseekers receiving benefits - so those who are out of work or in the lowest-paid jobs - and those with digital access issues. 1 in 5 (20%) in these groups posted a job application at least monthly.

Some young adults might be turning to postal applications due to challenges navigating online applications or potential device and connection issues. Others might be trying to stand out in a highly competitive labour market, or to ensure their application is read by a human, rather than AI.

Our data also highlights the role of post in young people’s financial resilience

With young adults more likely to be in insecure employment, and to lack confidence managing their money, postal services provide vital access to banking and financial support. Over 1 in 5 (21%) young adults sent post relating to benefits applications within the last 6 months, compared to less than 1 in 10 (8%) over 35s. 

Many young adults also rely on cash to budget and manage day-to-day finances - we found 15% use it for all or most transactions, compared to 6% of over 65s. As high-street banks close their doors at pace, post offices play an increasingly important role in access to cash and other basic banking services. These services are used and valued by all age groups, but younger adults appear to rely on them most.

Almost 1 in 4 (24%) 18-34 year olds use a post office to withdraw or deposit cash or cheques at least monthly. Young adults with children at home or with lower household incomes are particularly reliant on post offices to access cash. Given areas with the highest cash withdrawals are more likely to have higher relative child poverty rates, post offices appear to be providing vital access to funds for the lowest-income, young families. 

In the context of the Government's review of the provision of wider in-person banking services, our findings suggest similar patterns around young people’s use of post offices for some wider banking and financial services, such as savings and insurance. 18-34 year olds are three times as likely as those aged over 35 to access these services at least weekly or monthly at a post office. Some of the younger adults who are most likely to use these services include heavy cash users (25% do so weekly and 40% monthly) and those with digital access issues (16% weekly and 22% monthly). Post Office identifies younger age groups as being more likely than those aged over 55 to have used a face-to-face service for all types of personal banking tasks in the last two years.

A time of firsts and transitions: How postal services help young adults manage their wider lives

Young adults’ lives are often marked by frequent changes in their employment, income, where they live and who they live with. These changes come with a high administrative burden, as individuals have to update details on ID documents and re-register with utility companies and government services. Many young adults will also be managing bills independently for the first time. Although these tasks can be managed online, our polling suggests some younger adults aren’t digitally confident enough to do this.

Our evidence suggests the youngest adults are no more confident than older adults when it comes to completing important administrative tasks - such as banking or paying bills - online. Less than half (46%) of 18-24 year olds said they feel confident completing all important online tasks independently, compared to 50% of over 65s. LINK’s research, which included digitally excluded participants, found that, for many online tasks, 18-24 year olds were considerably less confident than over 75s.

And they are often turning to postal services for support. We found younger adults are more likely than older consumers to use postal services to pay bills and engage with government services. This is more pronounced amongst younger adults who are heavy cash users or have children in their household. Postal services are helping low-income families at the sharpest end of the cost of living crisis manage their bills and administrative tasks. 

Postal services' crucial role in the support offer for young adults

There’s a tendency to view today’s young adults - the first ‘digital natives’ - as a generation who manage their lives entirely online. However, our research suggests this is not accurate. Whether due to digital barriers or the scale of change in their lives, the postal service and post offices continue to provide access to essential services and support. Young adults in lower-income households, those who have children at home, those who struggle to use the internet, or who mostly use cash, are especially reliant on these services.

With reviews of both Post Office and Royal Mail’s shape and sustainability ongoing, younger adults are clearly a vital demographic for the future of both companies. Ofcom’s own postal tracking data reveals a similar trend to ours, with younger age groups more likely than older age groups to send higher-stakes post. [2] Forthcoming plans for both Royal Mail and the Post Office must consider the specific needs of the young adults who rely on their services. 

Some of this thinking has already begun. The Post Office has expanded its banking offer with Banking Hubs and is trialling a new branch that brings expert help with bills, digital skills, and other life admin under one roof. In the context of the Young People and Work review, Citizens Advice has been clear on the potential of hub-based models to provide young adults with holistic support in one location. Given 1 in 4 young adults visit a post office at least weekly, the Post Office’s wide-reaching network could be well-positioned to support new initiatives in this area. This includes its potential to provide a wider range of in-person banking services given the Government’s current review. 

Overall, our findings suggest postal services are playing a potentially overlooked role in helping young adults navigate the challenges they face - whether it be applying for jobs, accessing cash or staying on top of their bills. However, further analysis is required to fully understand the circumstances driving their frequent use of postal services and what they need from these services going forward. As the government looks to improve support offered to young people, postal services should be set up to ensure they can continue providing young adults with the support they rely on.

Endnotes:

[1] Polling commissioned by Citizens Advice and conducted by Yonder Data Solutions. Online nationally representative omnibus survey of 4158 UK adults between 3rd - 7th July 2026. Given the survey was conducted online, digitally excluded consumers may be underrepresented. 

The timeframe for post office-related questions was ‘in the last year’ and the timeframe for the letter post question was ‘in the last 6 months’. Respondents could choose a specific frequency within these time frames for using each Post Office service or letter type. This included not using these services or choosing don’t know/can’t remember. 

[2] Ofcom’s Residential Postal Tracker data (Jan - Dec 2025, tables 197 and 198) shows 24% of 16-34 year olds sent at least one formal letter to an organisation or individual in the last month, compared to 18% of those aged 65+. Similarly, 23% of 16-34 year olds sent at least one bill, invoice or statement via post in the last month, compared to 12% of those aged 65+.