The Results of MinistryWatch’s Recent Reader Survey
Survey shows MinistryWatch is bearing good fruit—but we still have work to do.
The Results of MinistryWatch’s Recent Reader Survey
Survey shows MinistryWatch is bearing good fruit—but we still have work to do.
OPINION–Twice each year, usually in April and October, MinistryWatch conducts a survey of its readers. We have been doing this survey for almost four years, and we have used it to understand you, our readers, and to make changes to the way we serve you.
(You can read the results of last year’s survey here.)
So, with that preamble, let us look at some of the results. I will also provide a bit of commentary along the way.
How Often Do You Read MinistryWatch?
I was gratified to learn that most of you are regular readers. More than 80% of you read MinistryWatch stories either every day or several times a week. One hundred percent of respondents read MinistryWatch at least once a week. It is gratifying to have such engaged readers.
What Do You Like About MinistryWatch?
You have a strong preference for investigative journalism. Nearly 50% of you say that is the primary reason you read MinistryWatch. That is consistent with earlier surveys, which ranged from the high 40s to the high 50s.
Nearly 20% of you depend on MinistryWatch for breaking news. That is up from about 13% two years ago. That is interesting to me because we do not consider ourselves primarily a breaking news organization. That said, we try to be first, or among the first, to report the stories we cover, and it is gratifying to know that many of you consider that attribute important.
Too Many Emails?
We asked you if we sent you too many emails, and about 68% of you said the number of emails we sent to you was “about right.” That number is unchanged from last year. That said, 32% of you said we send out too many. We will continue to “tweak” our system in hopes of serving you better in the future.
Most of You Have Never Heard of Our Podcast
Only about 4% of you are avid MinistryWatch podcast listeners. Another 24% of you listen occasionally. These numbers are essentially unchanged from previous surveys.
What continues to surprise me is that 27% of you had “no idea you even had a podcast.” This is an increase from last year’s survey. I find this number baffling. Every daily email we send mentions our podcast.
But the numbers do not lie, and that tells me we need to do a better job of letting you know we have a podcast, and what is on it.
How Do You Get Your News?
Since the beginning of this survey, we have asked you which publications you read. (See results below.) But for the past year, we have been asking a new question regarding the kind of media you consume. I was fascinated that about 63% of you get your news online — far more than radio, television, or print. I knew, of course, that online would score well, but the utter dominance did come as a bit of a surprise to me.
What’s Most Important to You?
A couple of surveys ago, we started asking WHY you read MinistryWatch.
But our most recent survey indicated a significant shift. Today, 66% of you say you read MinistryWatch to stay informed. And 53% read to support the goal of “enhancing the credibility of the church.”
This question, plus the question above in which you said you read MinistryWatch for breaking news, suggests that many of you depend on us as one of your more general news sources.
The answer “to help me become a better steward” came in last of the four options. This was mildly disappointing since helping Christian donors become better stewards is in the mission statement of MinistryWatch. However, this result tells me that we have even more work to do to serve Christian donors more effectively.
What Else Do You Read?
It is interesting to me that we have seen a significant change in reading habits over the past couple of years. The percentage of you who read WORLD Magazine has fallen from 40% two years ago to just 22% today. The percentage who read Christianity Today (21%) has also dropped significantly in the past two years. The Colson Center’s BreakPoint commentaries also saw a significant decrease, from 32% down to 24%.
I continue to be surprised (and disappointed) that 21% of you read The Epoch Times, and that is up 2% from a year ago. This publication, run by the Falun Gong religious group, is staunchly anti-communist, which is likely why some conservatives find it of interest. But it is, in many ways, antithetical to a Christian worldview and should be read either with great caution, or as an exercise in opposition research.
I am gratified that you read none of these publications more than MinistryWatch — not necessarily a surprise since you are being surveyed because you are a MinistryWatch reader. Still, I am glad you trust us to be what appears to be a primary or at least a significant source of news.
Too Much Financial Fraud and Sexual Abuse?
We sometimes get emails from readers who tell us that we publish too much bad news. I do not think we do. I think what some call “bad news” is often a redemptive story that is simply still underway. We call one of the worst days in human history “Good Friday” because we know the rest of the story: the Resurrection is coming, and, furthermore, the crucifixion makes the Resurrection possible. (To read more on this topic, see my article “When Bad News is Good News,” which you can find here.)
Nonetheless, we do take all feedback seriously, so we asked: What is your reaction to stories of financial fraud and sexual abuse? I was gratified to learn that most of you agree with me. More than 80% of you told us they were “necessary,” though 12% of you added “a little goes a long way.” These numbers are similar to past surveys.
Becoming a Discerning Giver
One of the most gratifying findings of this survey is also one of the most consistent over time. That finding is this: you use MinistryWatch to help you make giving decisions.
A full two-thirds say you use MinistryWatch to help you make giving decisions, and 48% say you have changed your giving decisions based on the information you learned from MinistryWatch.
This is why we exist: to serve donors, to help you make more discerning giving decisions.
So, the bottom line is this: We have still got some work to do. Your responses to this survey will help us make changes strategically and efficiently. We thank you for that.
We also can see, though, that our work is bearing fruit in your lives and in the lives of those you touch with your generosity. We thank God for that.
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