According to direct marketing specialist GI Direct, more than 70% of UK adults take more notice of mail that is aimed specifically and accurately at them.
The study showed the passion for personalisation was particularly prevalent in Scotland and the South, while conversely people in East Anglia and the North West appear more "jaded and less receptive" to high levels of targeting.
However, GI Direct reported that women are particularly keen on personalised mailers, with 78% saying they would be significantly more likely to respond to such mail compared to just 65% of men.
Patrick Headley, sales director of GI Direct, said the research gave "hard evidence of the critical importance of targeted direct marketing in the current recessionary climate".
Headley said: "The fact remains that the majority of organisations are not using more than superficial levels of personalisation in their direct marketing.
"Marketers need to examine the level of personalisation generally applied in their direct marketing campaigns, in order to ensure, at the least, they are matching competitor standards, and at best exceeding the market norm in order to improve campaign responsiveness and subsequent sales."