Genealogy Activity Survey: magazines and events

Between March 19 and 25 responses from 150 people to a survey on genealogy activity were received.

This survey covers a highly selective group of engaged enthusiasts. To put them (us) in perspective, Ancestry claims 1.7 million subscribers; a typical episode of the present US series of Who Do You Think You Are? gets 5.8 million viewers. If some activity does not rate highly with this group, and the activity is aimed at the enthusiast market, it's missing the boat.

There were 133 responses from America (twice as many from Canada as the US), 14 from Europe (13 from the UK), 2 from Australia and 1 from Japan.

Respondents were asked to "indicate the most recent time period in which you've been involved in the following genealogy activities."
Magazines
                                             Week   Month   Year   Decade  Never
Read a commercial
genealogy magazine.              33%     24%     27%     6%       10%
Read a non-profit
(Society) genealogy
magazine or newsletter,        45%      45%      7%      3%         1%

90% of respondents had read a society magazine or newsletter within the past month. That was found across Canada, the UK and US. By comparison somewhat over half (57%) had enjoyed a commercial genealogy magazine, a percentage that was greater in the UK (69%) which is home to a greater choice of family history magazines. All but one UK respondent had looked at a commercial magazine within the past year.

Events

                                             Week   Month   Year   Decade  Never
Attended a single-day
genealogy event.                   10%     22%     37%     15%       16%
Attended a multi-day
genealogy event                      1%      9%      46%     20%       24%

Fewer people attend genealogy events than read genealogy magazines, and fewer go to multi-day events than single-day. Respondents from Canada were more likely to have participated in an event. About 60% of those in the UK and US hadn't participated in a multi-day event in the past year.
Those who have attended a multi-day event in the past year are more likely (91%) to have read a commercial magazine, and a society magazine (97%) in the past year than those who haven't.