Wikimedia CH/Community Survey

Community Survey Edition 2017

Wikimedia CH has conducted its community survey for the third time between January and March 2018. Our aim is not only to accumulate feedback concerning the associations efforts and strategic direction, but also and above all to better understand the needs, concerns and ideas of our different communities in Switzerland.

There would be no Wikimedia CH without the community. Therefore, listening to our community members and nurturing and serving the community at our best is of utmost importance.

Wikimedia CH not only actively asks for feedback and input during in-person events, but also uses the information received to adapt its services and render its work as an association more effective. What is more, the ideas and comments regarding our strategic framework find their way into future plans and further strategy discussions.

The survey has been hosted on Qualtrics.com with a login received from the Wikimedia Foundation. It was available online in four languages (de, fr, it, en) from January 31 onwards. The survey link was communicated on the central notice banners in Wikipedia (registered users on de, fr, it & en) and on Wikimedia Commons in Switzerland, as it was also sent via email to our members. Please do not hesitate to contact Wikimedia CH in case you wish to read the translated versions of the survey!

Banner Text

Share your feedback with our Community Survey!
Your answers will help us improve and align Wikimedia CH’s service with your needs.
Thank you for your help!

Analysis & Evaluation

Q2.Which sentence is true for you?

A total of 123 people participated in the 2017 survey:

Answer	Responses (2015)	% (2015)	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
Member	40	22%	13	11%	28	23%
Contributor	96	52%	79	67%	56	46%
Member as well as contributor	48	26%	26	22%	39	32%
Total	184	100%	118	100%	123	100%

A relatively high number of Wikipedians, who are not directly a member of the association, responded to the survey. We value this as an indicator showing that WMCH has great potential to attract participation from various backgrounds and different parts of the community, who might also be interested in the association's activities.

Participants of the Wikimedia CH Community Survey 2017

Questions related to Wikimedia projects

Q3.For how many years have you been contributing to Wikipedia and/or other Wikimedia Projects, like Wikimedia Commons?

This question screens the experience of the respondants.

Answer	Responses (2015)	% (2015)	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
Less than 1 year	18	10%	22	19%	10	7%
1 up to 5 years	48	26%	33	28%	23	19%
5 up to 10 years	46	25%	23	20%	24	25%
More than 10 years	32	17%	19	16%	34	28%
I don't contribute	NA	NA	NA	NA	1	1%
No answer	40	22%	21	18%	31	25%
Total	184	100%	118	100%	123	100%

These results clearly show that older contributors or Wikipedians are more likely to voice their opinion than new users and this result is very different from that of 2016 or of 1015. It is difficult however to verify if this is simply a consequence of the typical turnover within Wikipedia.

For how many years have you been contributing to Wikipedia and/or other Wikimedia Projects?

Q4.On which Wikimedia projects do you contribute?

Answer	Responses	%
Wikipedia	85	42%
Commons	51	25%
Wikidata	25	12%
Wikisource	13	6%
Wikivoyage	10	5%
Mediawiki	6	3%
Wiktionary	5	2%
Wikiquote	3	1%
Wikibooks	2	1%
Wikinews	2	1%
Wikiversity	1	0%
Wikispecies	0	0%
Total	203	100%

The large majority (79%) contributes to the three main Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia, Commons and Wikidata) and among those half contributes to Wikipedia. No one of the respondents contributes to Wikispecies, but we can see a big increase of minor projects like Wikisource (from to 2% in the 2016 to 6%) and Wikivoyage (from 3% in the 2016 to 5%). Wikipedia thus remains the main project in the Swiss context.

On which Wikimedia projects do you contribute?

Q5.Which of the following groups support you in your work as Wikipedian and/or Wikimedian (in Wikimedia Projects)?

Here, multiple answers were possible. Please note that this question has only been shown to survey participants who indicated that they were a contributor in Wikimedia projects.

Answer	Responses (2015)	% (2015)	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
other users, whom I don’t know in “real life”	58	23%	37	26%	37	23%
nobody supports me, and that’s how I want it to be	51	20%	28	19%	29	18%
other users, whom I do also know from “real life” (f.ex. Stammtisch, Wikipérmanence)	41	16%	20	14%	27	16%
Wikimedia CH (Switzerland)	32	13%	16	11%	22	13%
nobody supports me, but I wish to be more supported	13	5%	16	11%	10	6%
my surrounding family	8	3%	6	4%	8	5%
The Wikimedia Foundation	9	4%	2	1%	6	4%
my educational institution (f.ex. from your school, University etc.)	6	2%	7	5%	5	3%
Wikimedia DE (Germany)	13	5%	1	1%	5	3%
Wikimedia AT (Austria)	5	2%	0	0%	5	3%
Wikimedia FR (France)	5	2%	3	2%	3	2%
my employer	4	2%	5	3%	3	2%
Wikimedia IT (Italy)	4	2%	0	0%	2	1%
none of the above, but others support me, such as my friends or libraries	4	2%	3	2%	2	1%
Total	253	100%	144	100%	164	100%

The results show more or less the same trends as last year with one major difference: the support of other entities (Chapters of the Wikimedia Foundation) increased; on the other hand the percentage of 'people without support, but looking to be supported' decreased.

After a decrease in 2016, Wikimedia CH is back up to the percentage of 2015.

Which of the following groups support you in your work as Wikipedian and/or Wikimedian (in Wikimedia Projects)?

Questions related to Wikimedia membership

Q6.For how long have you been a member of Wikimedia CH?

Please note that this question has only been shown to participants of the survey who indicated to be a Member of Wikimedia CH.

Answer	Responses (2015)	%	Responses (2016)	%	Responses (2017)	%
Less than 1 year	27	31%	17	44%	8	12%
1 up to 5 years	41	47%	13	33%	40	60%
More than 5 years	15	17%	4	10%	18	27%
No answer	5	6%	5	13%	1	1%
Total	88	100%	39	100%	67	100%

In 2017, the number of members of the association, who answered the survey, increased; from those who answered, existing members are the majority.

For how long have you been a member of Wikimedia CH?

Q7.What were your main reasons for becoming a member of Wikimedia CH?

Multiple answers were possible and this question has only been shown to participants of the survey who indicated to be a member of Wikimedia CH.

Answer	Responses (2015)	%	Responses (2016)	%	Responses (2017)	%
Because I am convinced that free access to free knowledge is crucial	63	34%	18	27%	43	32%
To support Wikipedia and/or another Wikimedia-Project	63	34%	20	30%	35	26%
To contribute to the activities of the Association Wikimedia CH	27	14%	13	19%	22	16%
To meet like-minded people	14	7%	6	9%	15	11%
To participate in activities	12	6%	7	10%	11	8%
Other reasons	6	3%	3	4%	8	6%
I don't know/ No answer	2	1%	0	0%	0	0%
Total	187	100%	67	100%	134	100%

The responses are distributed similarly as they were in 2016, indicating that possibly members' needs stayed the same or are at least similar. What is relevant is that the focus of supporting Wikipedia and free knowledge as such lost some support in favor of the association's activities.

What were your main reasons for becoming a member of Wikimedia CH?

Q8.Do you participate in Wikimedia CH's activities and/or events?

Answer	Responses (2017)	%
Yes	26	21%
No	40	32%
No answer	57	47%
Total	123	100%

This question aims to evaluate the proportion of active users compared to the overall community. The biggest value though is the number of replies without an answer.

Does the following statement apply to you: I participate to Wikimedia CH's activities and/or events.

Q10.How happy are you with your experience as a Wikimedia CH member?

The same question was asked in 2016, but with a binary answer: yes/no.

(1 = not at all, 10 = fully)

Answer	Responses	%
1 :-(	0	0%
2	5	7%
3	19	28%
4	13	19%
5	22	33%
no answer	8	12%
Total	67	100%

Does the following statement apply to you: I participate to Wikimedia CH's activities and/or events.

In terms of 'happiness' there's still room for improvement and we therefore asked people who stated to be less happy - "What expectations were not fulfilled?". Answers included: The presence of WMCH should be more evenly distributed all over Switzerland and especially in remote areas; better targeted workshops such as for photos with a follow-up; continued education about Wikimedia projects; internal conflicts in the past that had a negative impact on the feeling of "happiness" of our members;

I would recommend a friend to become a member of Wikimedia CH

(1 = not at all, 10 = fully)

With this question we gauged the loyalty of the association's members. We asked the participants to attribute a value between 1 (not at all) and 10 (fully) to the following statement “I would recommend a friend to become a member of Wikimedia CH”. Based on the answers to this question, we were then able to generate the Net Promoter Score.

Please note that this question has only been shown to participants of the survey who indicated to be a Member of Wikimedia CH.

Answer	Responses (2015)	% (2015)	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	2	3%
1	1	1%	1	3%	1	1%
2	2	2%	0	0%	2	3%
3	1	1%	2	5%	3	4%
4	1	1%	1	3%	0	0%
5	11	13%	8	21%	5	7%
6	5	6%	0	0%	9	13%
7	11	13%	4	10%	5	7%
8	9	10%	5	13%	12	18%
9	16	18%	2	5%	7	10%
10	26	30%	7	18%	14	21%
No answer	5	6%	9	23%	7	10%
Total	83	100%	39	100%	67	100%

I would recommend a friend to become a member of Wikimedia CH

Q14.Does the following statement apply to you: "I have a feeling of 'belonging' to Wikimedia CH."?

This question showed a selection of values in 2015; in 2016 and 2017, only binary answers were possible.

Please note that this question has only been shown to participants of the survey who indicated to be a Member of Wikimedia CH.

Answer	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
yes	26	67%	40	60%
no	4	10%	18	27%
no answer	9	23%	9	13%
Total	39	100%	67	100%

The feeling of 'belonging' in itself decreased in 2017 compared to 2016. Reasons that were mentioned in the subsequent question "What would in your opinion give you the feeling of 'belonging' to Wikimedia..." covered again "a more evenly distributed presence of WMCH all over Switzerland", "accepting critics" and "elaborating common values", as well as "no need for a feeling of belonging". In interpreting the results it also becomes clear that the feeling of 'belonging' nevertheless seems to be important to most of the respondents.

Does the following statement apply to you: I have a feeling of "belongingness" to Wikimedia CH.

Q16.How valued or appreciated do you feel by Wikimedia CH?

Please note that this question has only been shown to participants of the survey who indicated to be a Member of Wikimedia CH.

Answer	Responses (2015)	% (2015)	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
I feel very appreciated/valued.	32	18%	10	26%	8	7%
I feel only a little appreciated/valued.	51	29 %	9	23%	32	26%
It doesn't matter to me if I am appreciated/valued.	30	17%	5	13%	44	36%
I feel only a little appreciated/valued.	18	10%	4	10%	7	6%
I don't feel appreciated/valued at all.	43	25%	2	5%	12	10%
No answer	0	0%	9	23%	20	16%
Total	174	100%	39	100%	123	100%

Does the following statement apply to you: I feel valued by Wikimedia CH.

Questions related to Wikimedia CH strategy

Q18.Were you aware that Wikimedia CH has a strategy?

Answer	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
Yes	23	19%	44	37%
No	69	58%	59	48%
No answer	26	22%	20	16%
Total	118	100%	123	100%

The question is important, because the strategy of Wikimedia CH has been elaborated recently and through workshops and active communication, WMCH tried to involve as many members as possible in the strategy creation process. Efforts made can be translated into the increase of knowledge around the strategic direction in 2017, but it remains clear that a huge part of people has not been reached, which needs to be taken into account when communicating in the future.

Were you aware that Wikimedia CH has a strategy?

Q19.Are you satisfied with the strategic direction of Wikimedia CH?

Answer	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
Yes	61	52%	52	42%
No	32	27%	7	6%
I don't particularly care	NA	NA	47	38%
No answer	25	21%	17	14%
Total	118	100%	123	100%

People who knew about the strategic direction, as well as people who didn't initially know about it (they had the chance to learn about it through documents provided over the survey) are mostly satisfied or don't care. Only 6% are not satisfied and comments received mentioned a lack of consistency and structure within the strategy, a lack of addressing the real issues (without details) and the fact that it's written in English.

I am satisfied with the strategic direction of Wikimedia CH.

Q21.Are you aware of how Wikimedia CH spends its money? For budget and spending information please consult our Progress Report

Most of the respondents answered that they don't know how money is spent. This result needs to be seen in relation with the following question.

Answer	Responses	%
Yes	30	24%
No	69	56%
No answer	24	20%
Total	123	100%

Q22.Are you satisfied with the way Wikimedia CH spends its money (taking into consideration the high cost of operating in Switzerland)?

This is a new question, first asked in 2017. Results show that the majority of people participating in the survey doesn't care about how the money is spent, followed by those who are satisfied. 7% said not to be satisfied and comments received ranged from "high costs for staff" to "a huge part of money collected goes to the Foundation, who does not spend it wisely".

Answer	Responses	%
Yes	37	30%
No	9	7%
I don't care how Wikimedia CH spends its money	50	41%
No answer	27	22%
Total	123	100%

The strategic directions for the years to come are: GLAM, Education and Community. Which of these would you be interested in learning more about?

Q24.Are you satisfied with the level of transparency around Wikimedia CH's strategy and budget?

This is a new question, first asked in 2017. Again most are satisfied or don't care.

Answer	Responses	%
Yes	53	43%
No	8	7%
I don't particularly care	37	30%
No answer	25	20%
Total	123	100%

Are you satisfied with the level of transparency around Wikimedia CH's strategy and budget?

Q29.The strategic directions for the years to come are: GLAM, Education and Community. Which of these would you be interested in learning more about?

Education is the strategic direction that most of the participants want to learn more about. But, with Community and GLAM close behind we are happy to hear that all 3 major parts of WMCH's strategy are of interest to the community.

Answer	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
Education	32	27%	33	27%
Community	24	20%	16	13%
GLAM	23	19%	17	14%
I would rather not say/I don't know yet	NA	NA	23	29%
No answer	39	33%	15	12%
Total	118	100%	123	100%

The strategic directions for the years to come are: GLAM, Education and Community. Which of these would you be interested in learning more about?

Q26.Are you satisfied with the individual strategies for each direction? (Links to strategy overviews given with question)

This question was first asked in 2017 and people were provided with one page summaries of the strategic directions. The distribution of answers remains relatively stable among questions concerning the strategy and budget, with a majority being satisfied or not interested.

Program	Yes	No	I don't care	Total
Education	52%	7%	41%	87
GLAM	55%	6%	39%	84
Community	48%	7%	45%	85

Are you satisfied with the individual strategies for each direction?

Questions related to Wikimedia CH activities

Q27.Which of the following services of Wikimedia CH are of (greatest) importance to you?

Please note that this question has been shown to all participants of the survey and that multiple choice was allowed.

Answer	Responses	%
Providing information about the Wikimedia movement and WMCH	45	22%
Organisational support	29	14%
Others, such as	27	13%
Providing a network of contacts	21	10%
Reimbursement of travel costs	18	9%
Microgrants	17	8%
In-person events	17	8%
Rental of equipment and/or press accreditations	16	8%
Scholarships to attend Wikimania/WikiCon	14	7%
Total	204	100%

As others are indicated:

• Publications of Wikimedia
• Collaboration and support for initiatives
• Define the correct amount of money to send to WMF
• Community IRC
• Contributing to Wikipedia discussions

Which of the following services of Wikimedia CH are of (greatest) importance to you?

Q28.Do you actively follow the activities of Wikimedia CH? (multiple answers possible)

Please note that this question has been shown to all participants of the survey and that multiple choice was allowed.

Answer	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
No, not at all	38	27%	39	21%
Yes, I read the Newsletter	17	12%	37	20%
Yes, directly on Wikipedia	19	13%	24	13%
Yes, I am subscribed to the mailing list	11	8%	16	9%
Yes, through personal contacts with employees or board members of the association	12	8%	15	8%
Yes, I get information at events that I visit	7	5%	14	8%
Yes, I visit the Website www.wikimedia.ch	13	9%	13	7%
Yes, I follow you on Twitter	12	8%	9	5%
Yes, through the members wiki	6	4%	7	4%
Yes, through Facebook	6	4%	6	3%
Yes, thanks through other channels	1	1%
Yes, thanks through other channels	2	1%
Total	142	100%	182	100%

Are you following the activities of Wikimedia CH?

Q29. Do you feel adequately informed about the activities of Wikimedia CH?

Providing information about the movement and association has been one of the top priorities and even though 62% do feel adequately informed, there's still room for improvement to better reach the remaining 38%.

Answer	Responses (2016)	% (2016)	Responses (2017)	% (2017)
Yes	49	62%	64	52%
No	30	38%	32	26%
No answer	39	33%	27	22%
Total	118	100%	123	100%

I am just enough informed about the activities of Wikimedia CH.

Q31.Are you interested in receiving a thematic newsletter?

Multiple choice was possible. Among those, who wish to receive further information, Education is again the topic that triggers most interest.

	Count	2017
Yes, concerning GLAM	14	8%
Yes, concerning Education	23	14%
Yes, concerning Community	17	10%
Yes, concerning Partnerships & Outreach	13	8%
Yes, concerning Diversity & Equity	12	7%
Yes, concerning Communication	17	10%
Yes, concerning Technology	20	12%
No, not at all	43	26%
Yes, others	7	4%
Total	166	100%

Are you interested in receiving a thematic newsletter?

Individual Feedbacks & Comments

At the very end of the survey, the participants had the opportunity to share comments or feedback with us. The following list isn't complete but represents some topics and type of comments which were made. Please note that we don't publish all individual comments that have been made, respecting the anonymity of the survey.

First of all, we want to mention that lots of comments and feedback received, was highly positive and we want to thank everyone for his/her kind words, which are truly inspirational and motivating!

Critics that are more than welcome and that we take serious comprised:

• More timely (beforehand) communication about events
• More targeted help to members within the 'jungle of wikis' and specific help for contributing (license questions, ...)
• Lack of information concerning the cut of subventions from the FDC and better communication about hiring new team members
• A better system for member fees with an email that cleary differs from common information emails

Questionnaire

• Technical Info:

Depending on being a Member/not being a Member of WMCH and/or being an active Wikimedian (e.g. contributing to a Wikimedia Project), the questions displayed varied.

Please note that the word “active” refers to 3 or more edits made per month.

  Community Survey Wikimedia CH 2016

Wikimedia CH is launching its community survey in order to better understand your wishes, needs and concerns as member of the Community we want to serve and facilitate. The inputs we get from you will help us to improve our services and our work as an association as well as to shape our future plans and strategy. The survey is available in german, french, italian and english language and we're happy to receive your answer before January 5, 2017. Thank you so much for your participation.

Which sentence is true for you?

[ ] I am a member of the association Wikimedia Switzerland

[ ] I am an active contributor on Wikipedia and/or another Wikimedia-Project (e.g. Wikimedia Commons, Wikisource etc.)

[ ] Both are true

For how many years have you been contributing to Wikipedia and/or other Wikimedia Projects?

[ ] Less than 1 year

[ ] 1 up to 5 years

[ ] 5 up to 10 years

[ ] More than 10 years

On which Wikimedia projects do you contribute? [ ] Wikipedia

[ ] Wikimedia Commons

[ ] Wikidata

[ ] Wikisource

[ ] Wikivoyage

[ ] Wiktionary

[ ] Wikiversity

[ ] Wikibooks

[ ] Wikinews

[ ] Wikispecies

[ ] Wikiquote

[ ] Media-Wiki

Which of the following people or groups support you in your work as a Wikipedian and/or a Wikimedian ? Multiple answers are possible.

[ ] other users, whom I don’t know in “real life”

[ ] other users, whom I do also know from “real life” (f.ex. Stammtisch, Wikipérmanence)

[ ] my educational institution (f.ex. from your school, University etc)

[ ] my employer

[ ] my surrounding family

[ ] Wikimedia CH (Switzerland)

[ ] Wikimedia DE (Germany)

[ ] Wikimedia AT (Austria)

[ ] Wikimedia IT (Italy)

[ ] Wikimedia FR (France)

[ ] The Wikimedia Foundation

[ ] none of the above, but others support me, such as ____________________

[ ] nobody supports me, but I wish to be more supported

[ ] nobody supports me, and that’s how I want it to be

For how long have you been a member of Wikimedia Switzerland?

[ ] Less than 1 year

[ ] 1 up to 5 years

[ ] More than 5 years

What were the main reasons for becoming a member of Wikimedia CH? Multiple answers are possible.

[ ] To support Wikipedia and/or another Wikimedia-Project

[ ] To contribute to the activities of the Wikimedia CH association

[ ] Because I am convinced that access to free knowledge is crucial

[ ] To participate in activities

[ ] To meet like-minded people

[ ] Other reasons: _________________________________________.

[ ] I don’t know / No answer.

Does the following statement apply to you: I participate to Wikimedia CH's activities and/or events.

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

Why do you not participate to Wikimedia CH's activities and/or events? _________________________________________

Were your expectations of becoming a member fulfilled?

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

Why were your expectations not fulfilled? _________________________________________

How likely is it that you would recommend Wikimedia CH to a friend or colleague? (1 = not at all, 10 = fully)

[ ] 1 [ ] 2 [ ] 3 [ ] 4 [ ] 5 [ ] 6 [ ] 7 [ ] 8 [ ] 9 [ ] 10

Does the following statement apply to you: I have a feeling of “belongingness” to Wikimedia Switzerland.

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

Does the following statement apply to you: I feel appreciated/valued by Wikimedia Switzerland.

[ ] Fully applies

[ ] Rather applies

[ ] Does rather not apply

[ ] Does not apply at all

[ ] None of the above apply

Why not?_________________________________________

Were you aware that Wikimedia CH has a strategy? Please find the link to the chapter's strategy here.

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

Does the following statement apply to you: I am satisfied with the strategic direction of Wikimedia CH

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

Why are you not satisfied?_________________________________________

The strategic directions for the years to come are: GLAM, Education and Community. Which of these would you be interested in learning more about?

[ ] GLAM

[ ] Education

[ ] Community

Which of the following services from Wikimedia Switzerland are of (greatest) importance to you? You can indicate multiple answers.

[ ] Reimbursement of travel costs

[ ] Scholarships to attend Wikimania/WikiCon

[ ] Microgrants

[ ] Rental of Equipment and/or press accreditation

[ ] Literature Scholarships

[ ] Organizational support

[ ] Providing a network of contacts

[ ] Hosting events

[ ] others, such as ____________________________________.

Are you following the activities of Wikimedia CH? You can indicate multiple answers.

[ ] No.

[ ] Yes, I visit the Website www.wikimedia.ch

[ ] Yes, through the members wiki

[ ] Yes, directly on Wikipedia

[ ] Yes, I am subscribed to the mailing list (f.ex. wikimediach-l@lists.wikimedia.org)

[ ] Yes, I read the Newsletter

[ ] Yes, through Facebook

[ ] Yes, I follow you on Twitter

[ ] Yes, I get information at events that I visit

[ ] Yes, through personal contacts with employees or board members of the association

[ ] Yes, thanks to ____________________

I am just enough informed about the activities of Wikimedia CH.

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

Please explain why?____________________

Last but not least: Would you like to tell us something and give a general feedback? Feel free to indicate your username in case you wish for us to be more proactive in contacting you.You'll finally find some space for your message here.

(Field for open answer)

Thanks a lot for your participation. This will help Wikimedia CH to further align our activities and communication according to your needs. Your Wikimedia CH Team.

www.wikimedia.ch

Related links

• Wikimedia CH/Community Survey 2016
• Wikimedia CH/Community Survey 2015