For the race question, I recommend allowing people to pick more than one option, or creating an extra option saying “I don’t primarily identify with one race”.
For profession, I feel like it was unclear what people who aren’t currently students or employed are supposed to pick. What they most recently worked in or studied in a formal setting? What about students who haven’t declared a major yet? The field of study they’re leaning toward?
For the time in community question, I suggest clarifying whether that includes lurking. My guess was no, but I think it was sufficiently vague to where a significant number of people wouldn’t have guessed that.
I would also be interested in seeing a question relating to use of artificial cognitive enhancement techniques such as tDCS and nootropics.
For the race question, I recommend allowing people to pick more than one option, or creating an extra option saying “I don’t primarily identify with one race”.
Amen. Though maybe in terms of analysis “I do not identify with any race,” which I imagine may be more common here than other places since people choose not to identify with other variables for which it is a more radical statement, is uninteresting to the survey. I that case, “I do not identify with a race” or “I identify with more than one race” could be usefully lumped in with “other.” If we’re the only two a racial people on the site I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.
Though maybe in terms of analysis “I do not identify with any race,” which I imagine may be more common here than other places since people choose not to identify with other variables for which it is a more radical statement, is uninteresting to the survey.
It might be uninteresting from the standpoint of someone who only wants specific racial information, but it still might be interesting for other reasons to see what other qualities correlate with someone who picks that kind of answer. The thing is, I wasn’t sure Yvain had the capability to create checkboxes that allow selecting more than one answer choice, as I didn’t see them anywhere on the survey. The “I don’t primarily identify with one race” was meant to be a catch-all for mixed-race people who don’t want to pick sides between their races, but I agree it would be more useful to subdivide that even further to “I identify with more than one race” and “I do not identify with a race”. I personally got around this by selecting “other” on the grounds that I identify with the human race.
If we’re the only two a racial people on the site I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.
It looks like for the 2013 survey, 51 people answered “other” and 22 people left it blank, so I think there are enough people for further distinctions to be worthwhile. There were other race options that even fewer people selected. I feel like “other” is best reserved for people who do identify with an ethnicity that wasn’t represented in the answer choices, and leaving the question blank is best reserved for people who dislike the question/answers, want to be more anonymous, etc.
I agree. Selecting other felt like I was shoehorning in.
I just hate asking for special treatment. Growing up, a whiner was the worst legal thing one could be, and it stuck with me a little. But 73 people does seem significant .
I took the survey.
I have a few suggestions though.
For the race question, I recommend allowing people to pick more than one option, or creating an extra option saying “I don’t primarily identify with one race”.
For profession, I feel like it was unclear what people who aren’t currently students or employed are supposed to pick. What they most recently worked in or studied in a formal setting? What about students who haven’t declared a major yet? The field of study they’re leaning toward?
For the time in community question, I suggest clarifying whether that includes lurking. My guess was no, but I think it was sufficiently vague to where a significant number of people wouldn’t have guessed that.
I would also be interested in seeing a question relating to use of artificial cognitive enhancement techniques such as tDCS and nootropics.
Thanks for working on the survey. :)
Amen. Though maybe in terms of analysis “I do not identify with any race,” which I imagine may be more common here than other places since people choose not to identify with other variables for which it is a more radical statement, is uninteresting to the survey. I that case, “I do not identify with a race” or “I identify with more than one race” could be usefully lumped in with “other.” If we’re the only two a racial people on the site I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.
It might be uninteresting from the standpoint of someone who only wants specific racial information, but it still might be interesting for other reasons to see what other qualities correlate with someone who picks that kind of answer. The thing is, I wasn’t sure Yvain had the capability to create checkboxes that allow selecting more than one answer choice, as I didn’t see them anywhere on the survey. The “I don’t primarily identify with one race” was meant to be a catch-all for mixed-race people who don’t want to pick sides between their races, but I agree it would be more useful to subdivide that even further to “I identify with more than one race” and “I do not identify with a race”. I personally got around this by selecting “other” on the grounds that I identify with the human race.
It looks like for the 2013 survey, 51 people answered “other” and 22 people left it blank, so I think there are enough people for further distinctions to be worthwhile. There were other race options that even fewer people selected. I feel like “other” is best reserved for people who do identify with an ethnicity that wasn’t represented in the answer choices, and leaving the question blank is best reserved for people who dislike the question/answers, want to be more anonymous, etc.
I agree. Selecting other felt like I was shoehorning in.
I just hate asking for special treatment. Growing up, a whiner was the worst legal thing one could be, and it stuck with me a little. But 73 people does seem significant .