Door-knocking outside of an election

Dear readers,
I was wondering if you could provide your thoughts on the subject of canvassing and door-knocking outside of an actual election. The word I've been getting both while engaging in these activities and also in talks with politically savvy and non-savvy individuals is rather confusing. I would say it's about half and half for "If a candidate doesn't show up at my door at some point before the election, then I won't support them" and "I don't want to be bothered". The latter option, of course, also includes those that don't want to be bothered at their homes at all. I'm being torn by these two trends of thought. Any advice/comments?