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
Top 10 answers
- Portland, OR
- Seattle, WA
- Salem, OR
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- San Francisco, CA
- Madison, WI
- Eugene, OR
- Oakland, CA
- St. Petersburg, FL
State
Top 13 answers
- 14.3% California
- 9.6% Oregon
- 7.1% Washington
- 5.7% New York
- 5.1% Massachusetts
- 5.1% Minnesota
- 4.3% Michigan
- 3.9% Florida
- 3.9% Pennsylvania
- 3.5% Colorado
- 3.5% Illinois
- 2.9% North Carolina
- 2.9% Wisconsin
- 2.4% Texas
As an activist, what would you most like to read about?
- 64% Ideas for staying engaged without burning out
- 59% Staying mentally and emotionally well with unhealthy leaders
- 58% Wisdom from leaders in older movements (civil rights, women’s movement, peace & justice, etc.)
- 56% Wisdom from contemporary resistance leaders (Standing Rock, Black Lives Matter, DACA, Women’s March, etc.)
- 54% How social change works
- 52% Finding inspiration to keep going toward your vision (even when it’s hard)
Where (near you) should I stop on my book tour?
Top 10 states:
- California 77
- Oregon 44
- Washington 38
- Minnesota 28
- Massachusetts 26
- New York 24
- Colorado 20
- Michigan 20
- Florida 16
- N.Carolina 14
Note: Many wrote adorable notes and exclamation points in your suggestions for book tour stops. 🙂
Thank you VERY much for taking the time to complete the survey.
The results validated some theories, made me think, and your thoughtful responses are assisting the direction of the writing happening now. Thank you so, so much!
Warmly,
Jen