Figure 1: Most contributors identify with the Foundation’s vision, but fewer agree that is equipped to execute it.
Clarifying and strengthening the global perception of Wikimedia and our free knowledge mission, and growing awareness and affinity with people in places we don’t yet serve.
The Foundation’s Brand Awareness priority aims to increase awareness of, and affinity with, the Wikimedia brand. While this priority focuses primarily on brand awareness among the general population, we also measured awareness of, and affinity with, the Wikimedia Foundation among the movement’s online contributors.
Figure 2: Foundation Support is high, but varies geographically.
Contributor awareness of the Wikimedia Foundation is high, but varies geographically. 84% of all contributors have heard of the Wikimedia Foundation, but awareness is particularly high in Northern America (96%) and lower in South America (82%), Eastern Europe (83%), and Central America (65%).1 Overall awareness among contributors was slightly higher than in 2018 (81%).2
Brand affinity is also moderate-to-high. For the first time in 2019, contributors were asked a series of questions measuring their affinity with the Wikimedia Foundation’s vision and confidence in its ability to see that vision through (See Figure 1). Contributors indicated a high level of alignment with the Foundation’s vision of “a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge,” with 84% indicating that this vision mostly or completely represented their values and/or Wikimedia-related work. A smaller majority indicated confidence in the Foundation, as 69% agreed that the Foundation has the right programs and strategies to achieve its vision, and 65% that the Foundation is able to support the global movement.3
These measures were combined into a Foundation Support Score, which ranges from 1 to 5. Globally, Foundation Support was 3.92 for 2019. In the future, this index score will be tracked year-over-year. Among survey respondents, Foundation Support also varied geographically, higher among contributors living in Africa, Southern Asia, and Northern Europe; and lower in Eastern Asia (See Figure 2).4
