Yes that’s right, it’s best to take these numbers as count data: absolute numbers of people who fit these categories, providing a lower bound for the numbers of EAs in the world who fit them, but likely not in the same proportions as all EAs in the world would be. In particular, they probably do as you say include disproportionately many people who frequent online venues like the Facebook group and LessWrong.
However I still would have expected more survey respondents to have picked out local groups. Many of the groups shared the survey with their members, so it’s not like we didn’t reach these people, and I know that many people who took the survey do attend local groups.
Yes that’s right, it’s best to take these numbers as count data: absolute numbers of people who fit these categories, providing a lower bound for the numbers of EAs in the world who fit them, but likely not in the same proportions as all EAs in the world would be. In particular, they probably do as you say include disproportionately many people who frequent online venues like the Facebook group and LessWrong.
However I still would have expected more survey respondents to have picked out local groups. Many of the groups shared the survey with their members, so it’s not like we didn’t reach these people, and I know that many people who took the survey do attend local groups.