Lift Readership Survey 2018

By Sara Withrow

Summary of Results

The 2018 Lift Readership Survey was administered electronically in partnership with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. It was sent to all current Lift recipients who have active email addresses in the Embry-Riddle alumni database. Below is a summary of the most pertinent results. Note: Charts/graphs may be enlarged by clicking on them.

Thank you to all of our readers who participated in this effort. And remember, you don’t have to wait for the next survey. We welcome your feedback any time! Email: liftmag@erau.edu.

Who Responded

Respondents: 2,529
Sample: n = 41,184
Response rate: 6.1 percent

Gender

81 percent male
17 percent female
2 percent other/no response

Affiliation to Embry-Riddle

Bar chart of survey responders by affiliation. 86% alumni, 11% faculty/staff, 9% donor, 7% parent/relative, 5% students, 2% retired faculty/staff, 1% former student.
Affiliations total more than 100 percent because survey takers could select more than one option.

Age

Pie chart of Lift readers by age. 2% under 25, 15% age 25-34, 31% age 35-49, 39% age 50-64, 13% over age 65.

Readership Patterns

Preferences and Styles

  • 64 percent of survey respondents read most or all of Lift.
  • 57 percent prefer to read Lift exclusively in print, while 27 percent prefer to read it both in print and online.
  • 55 percent spend 30 minutes or more with each issue.
  • 37 percent keep each issue for more than one month; and an additional 35 percent keep it for more than one week and up to one month.

How Often Do You Read Lift?

Pie chart of how often subscribers read Lift. 49 percent read every issue of Lift. 27 percent read most issues. 19 percent read occasional issues. 5 percent rarely/never read Lift.

Topics of Greatest Interest

Bar chart of topics that readers are most interested in. 37 percent of all survey respondents are most interested in science, technology and engineering; 30 percent alumni in their professions; 27 percent institutional history and traditions; 24 percent alumni chapter activities and regional programming; 24 percent business and industry.

Other Takeaways

Based on the survey:

  • More alumni acquire their information about the university from Lift than from any other source of communication.
  • 43 percent of Lift subscribers rate the magazine covers as consistently “excellent.”
  • 81 percent believe Lift strengthens their personal connection to Embry-Riddle.
  • Overall, Lift subscribers appreciate the content, ease of reading, photography, writing, layout and design of the magazine, with 79 to 85 percent rating the quality as “good” or “excellent” in each of these categories.
  • 39 percent saved an article or issue of Lift, and 34 percent shared or discussed a Lift article with a friend.
  • 37 percent recommended the institution to a potential student or family member because of Lift.
  • 28 percent attended an event because of Lift.
  • 14 percent made a donation to the institution because of Lift.
  • 40 percent believe Lift is a credible source of information about Embry-Riddle; 28 percent believe there is some “spin,” but that Lift is generally accurate and objective.

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