https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2gJ0xG_2EeFAgInFRM0NYi4eW93IBqlBbpBAB2Hx6zkYPNw/viewform
Enough said, go take the survey!
ok I’ll say more.
Last year some dude in Michigan (literally, that’s what he called himself) started a survey to get some demographic information on the state of amateur radio, just because he thought it would be cool to know things like…
- What are the most popular bands and modes?
- What are hams’ favorite activities?
- How old are ham radio operators?
- Why did hams get involved in amateur radio in the first place?
- What do you think are the biggest issues and roadblocks in ham radio?
- Are governing and lobbying bodies doing a good job? What should they do better?
The 2017 survey got 668 unique respondents and provided a rather unsurprising birds-eye view of the hobby:
- 2m is a favorite band
- Hams like direct QSLs best
- And only 12% of respondants are under the age of 35.
- #wearethe12%
It’s a little surprising that the IARU or other lobbying organizations like the ARRL don’t seem to spearhead massive demographic surveys, considering the FCC and other regulatory bodies tend to not have a . I’ve heard in the past a lot of money has been spent trying to determine the most unbiased way of generating surveys but never got around to it, or maybe they found a way and it wasn’t targeted to my (millennial) demographic? Who knows.
But then came N8RMA!
Many thanks to Dustin for putting the survey together and publishing the results last year. Here’s to looking forward to some awesome new data!
For those concerned about their personally identifiable information (call sign) going on the internet:
Privacy Policy: Any information provided will only be used, by me, on the survey results.This response data will not be given or sold to anyone, ever. I might not be GDPR compliant (heh heh) but as I stated, just for me. All the demographic stuff is optional, it’s a good baseline but not needed. I’m not affiliated with a marketing company or any ham radio lobby or company, just a dude in Michigan. Plus you know who I am so you can hunt me down. 🙂
-N8RMA
So although “callsign” is a required field, you don’t actually have to put your callsign…just put N/A or something if you would like to remain anonymous.