N8RMA - State of the Hobby Survey

Post date: Mar 24, 2018 12:18:04 PM

Last year some dude in Michigan, literally, that’s how he describes himself, started a survey to get some demographic information on the state of amateur radio, He thought it would be cool to know things like…- What are the most popular bands and modes?- What are hams’ favorite activities?- How old are ham radio operators?- Why did hams get involved in amateur radio in the first place?- What do you think are the biggest issues and roadblocks in ham radio?- Are governing and lobbying bodies doing a good job… and... what should they be doing better?

The 2017 survey received 668 unique respondents and provided a rather unsurprising birds-eye view of the hobby:

- 2m is a favorite band

- Hams like direct QSLs best

- And, wait for it... only 12% of respondents are under the age of 35

I wonder what that picture looks like for VK???

It’s a little surprising that the IARU or other lobbying organisations like the WIA rarely release demographic surveys, considering the ACMA and other regulatory bodies tend not to. If you don’t ask the question, you won't get an answer.

Many thanks to Dustin N8RMA for putting the survey together and publishing the results last year. Here’s to looking forward to some awesome new data this year!

For those concerned about their personally identifiable information (call sign) going on the internet, although “callsign” is a required field, you don’t actually have to put your callsign…just put N/A or something if you would like to remain anonymous.

Any information provided will only be used, by Dustin, on the survey results.This response data will not be given or sold to anyone, ever. All the demographic stuff is optional, it’s a good baseline but not needed. Dustin is not affiliated with a marketing company or any ham radio lobby or company, just a dude in Michigan. Plus you know who he is so you can hunt him down - if you feel like a visit to Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Thanks to Sterling Coffey - N0SSC, and his blog for helping us put together this story.

Link to Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2gJ0xG_2EeFAgInFRM0NYi4eW93IBqlBbpBAB2Hx6zkYPNw/viewform

Link to 2017 Results: https://sway.com/dBedey0zHZEjk0Xt