Book research survey outcomes

511 responses and lots of insight

In two weeks, over five hundred activists replied to my book research survey. I thought you might be interested in the results!

Note: For brevity, I haven’t included every reply, but rather general themes.

How engaged were you in politics before the 2016 election (following news, making calls, going to meetings, social media)?

51% were doing an hour or less.

After the election

28% were doing 8+ hours per week.
Only 1% were doing an hour or less.

With which political party are you affiliated?

84% Democrat
13% Independent

What is your political ideology?

82% Liberal/Progressive
10% Far left
8% Moderate

Who did you want to vote for in the 2016 election?

71% Clinton
27% Sanders

How do you think the political climate in our country has changed over the last 25 years?

Top 7 most commonly used words:

21% Polarized
19% Political (climate, polarized, war-like, discourse, engagement, divided, money, religious)
15% Party (loyalty to, over country, lines, out of touch, lack of communication between)
13% Divided
10% Divisive
8% Compromise (Less, no spirit of, lost the notion of, refuse to, no interest in, no room for)
5% Corporate (interest, power, greed, welfare, control)

How do you feel about the current political climate in our country?

Sad
Frightened
Scared
Terrified
Concerned
Depressed
Fear
Worried
Discouraged

Noteworthy: The word mentioned most was “Drumpf.”

What are your most important activism areas? Choose 5.

Top 7:

66% Climate crisis
66% Healthcare
47% Women’s rights
42% Education
32% Equality for people of color
31% Integrity in politics
30% Constitutional freedoms

Bottom 7:

8% Privacy and net neutrality
8% Employment and economy
7% Workers’ rights
6% Animal welfare
6% Disability rights
4% Tax reform
2% Law enforcement
2% Veterans’ rights

Other:

16% Equality for all people

Which in-person activism groups do you participate in?

64% Informal groups of friends
40% Indivisible
31% Other (local, environmental, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, LWV)
30% Women’s March huddle

Which march, rally, or protest have you attended since the election?

72% Women’s March
32% March for Science
28% Other (Healthcare, protests MoCs’ offices, anti-Drumpf, sanctuary, BLM, immigrants/farm workers, Muslim ban, town halls)

Which online activism groups do you consult?

66% Indivisible
48% Americans of Conscience/Jen Hofmann
35% Other (ACLU, Rogan’s List, local groups)
33% 5Calls
30% Daily Action (text)
25% #TheResistance

Which leaders inspire you (in activism, media, or politics)?

22% Bernie Sanders
13% Barack Obama
12% Rachel Maddow
8% Hillary Clinton
6% Robert Reich
6% Maxine Waters
5% Kamala Harris
5% Sally Yates
3% Linda Sarsour
3% John Lewis
3% Amy Goodman

List 2-3 magazines & newspapers you read.

31% New York Times
21% New Yorker
13% The Atlantic
9% Guardian
5% Mother Jones
3% Vanity Fair
3% Wall Street Journal

What types of social media do you use?

85% Facebook
42% YouTube
39% Twitter
33% Instagram
26% Pinterest

From which sources do you get most of your news?

66% Online publications
53% Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
42% Radio
40% Print publications
32% Network news programs
27% Late-night comedy shows
26% Podcasts or satellite radio programs

Demographic information

Geographic region:

43% Suburban
37% Urban
16% Rural
5% Exurban/commuter town

Employment status:

35% Retired
30% Full-time
16% Self-employed
11% Part-time
6% Not employed
3% Student

Age:

30% 65-74
27% 55-64
15% 45-54
14% 35-44
8% 25-34
3% 75-84
2% 19-24
1% 85+

Gender:

95% Female
5% Male
.4% Other

Relationship status:

69% Married
10% Single
9% Divorced
9% Partnered
2% Widowed
1% Open/poly

Sexual orientation:

86% Straight
7% Bisexual
6% Gay/lesbian
1% Asexual

Race:

95% White
5% Other
1% Asian
1% Black or African American

Education:

43% Master’s degree
2% Bachelor’s degree
14% Completed some postgraduate
11% Ph.D., law, or medical degree
6% Completed some college
3% Other advanced degree beyond a Master’s degree

City