It seems David’s comment below is particularly relevant here, and that it might be useful to have a two-way table of uptake rates? With University/General population on one axis and Passive/Active on the other. (Let me know if this exists and I’m missing it, otherwise if you agree this might be useful I can try and use any relevant surveys to estimate this)
Thanks Arthur! Unfortunately, I’m not sure that this data exists. It seems that we’d need to know both how many EA members there are at different universities and where they first heard of EA (perhaps CEA could gather this in future groups surveys).
We do have data about where people on campus in general had heard of EA.[1] Interestingly, ~0 of the people in our sample who seemed to have encountered EA (~220 people) seemed to be EAs themselves, which is itself somewhat suggestive of conversion rates.
As we can see, people on campus are more likely to say they heard of EA due to an EA group (14%), or a club fair (7%), that is probably likewise attributable to direct group activity. Some of the people who simply heard about EA around campus or from friends may also be attributable to group activity, but not have been directly outreached to. Many people clearly encountered EA only through more indirect means though, e.g. wider media, school or classes.[2]
Though it is worth bearing in mind that what we count as direct/indirect or higher/lower quality outreach is somewhat theoretically laden (and these dimensions can come apart). I recall, many years ago, it was more common to believe that people reading books would be ‘high fidelity’, and that groups might be ‘lower fidelity’; now a minority view.
Thanks Arthur! Unfortunately, I’m not sure that this data exists. It seems that we’d need to know both how many EA members there are at different universities and where they first heard of EA (perhaps CEA could gather this in future groups surveys).
We do have data about where people on campus in general had heard of EA.[1] Interestingly, ~0 of the people in our sample who seemed to have encountered EA (~220 people) seemed to be EAs themselves, which is itself somewhat suggestive of conversion rates.
As we can see, people on campus are more likely to say they heard of EA due to an EA group (14%), or a club fair (7%), that is probably likewise attributable to direct group activity. Some of the people who simply heard about EA around campus or from friends may also be attributable to group activity, but not have been directly outreached to. Many people clearly encountered EA only through more indirect means though, e.g. wider media, school or classes.[2]
This excludes responses which did not give an interpretable answer as to where they had heard of EA.
Though it is worth bearing in mind that what we count as direct/indirect or higher/lower quality outreach is somewhat theoretically laden (and these dimensions can come apart). I recall, many years ago, it was more common to believe that people reading books would be ‘high fidelity’, and that groups might be ‘lower fidelity’; now a minority view.