Hari Shanker R 5:50 pm on May 21, 2021
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2020 Meetup Survey Results

The 2020 WordPress Meetup survey wrapped up on April 30th, 2021. This year’s survey was unique since we made quite a few changes, primarily to reflect our pivot to online events. This post contains some statistics about 2020 meetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. and some interesting findings based on feedback from our meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. group members. 

Please note: This survey is a recap of the 2020 Annual survey for our Meetup members. We will publish a separate post on the results of the 2020 Meetup organizer survey shortly. Results of the 2020 Meetup Organizer survey are now available!

WordPress Meetup Chapter Statistics in 2020

  • Total WordPress chapter meetup groups: 745
  • Total countries with chapter meetups: 138
  • New meetup groups joined the chapter: 47
  • New members joined: 55,924
  • Total members: 448,128
  • Total number of organizers: 3,439
  • Total number of events: 4,985

2020 Meetup Survey Participation

  • Total member respondents: 806
  • Total organizer respondents: 65
  • Total countries participated: 68

Key Insights from the survey

  • Overall, most people seem to be satisfied with the meetup program in 2020, with 50% of folks reporting that they were 100% satisfied. 92% of respondents mentioned that they are likely to recommend WordPress meetups to others.
  • People are attending online meetups outside their local group. More than half of the respondents had attended at least one online meetup in 2020. Additionally, more than half of the respondents attended online meetups outside of their local meetup group. 
  • Zoom is the most popular tool for online meetups. With 69% votes, Zoom is the number one choice of platform for meetup attendees. Google Meet is a close second and YouTube comes third. You can now request a Community Zoom Pro account for your online meetup if you don’t have one.
  • Most people seem to like online meetups. 48% responded that they want online meetups a lot, with 31% saying they are okay. 13% of folks mentioned that they prefer in-person meetups over online meetups. 8% are tired of online meetups. An overwhelming majority (88%) wanted in-person events to be streamed online when they are back.
  • Reasons for attending online meetups: Folks seem to be divided about their reasons for attending meetups. The time/date of the event, their availability, and the location of the venue – are significant factors that govern members’ attendance in a meetup event.
  • Popular event formats: Online events, in-person events, workshops, and formal presentations were the most popular event formats for WordPress Meetups.

Read on to take a deep dive into the Annual Meetup Survey results for 2020!

Results of the Survey

In case you find it hard to view each image in the post, please click on the image to embiggen.

How did you hear about WordPress Meetups?

How did you hear about WordPress Meetups? Total answers: 806 First Meetup.com user: 205 25% Saw an event on the dashboard: 178 22% Heard about meetups from a freind: 137 - 17% Other option: 117 15% Someone told me about meetups at a WordCamp 80 10% Followed the "Find a local WordPress Community" link on the WordPress.org homepage: 57 7% Saw an events listing on the WordPress.org online events page: 32 4%

How satisfied are you with the WordPress Meetup program in 2020?

How satisfied are you with the WordPress Meetup program in 2020? Total votes: 806 100% satisfied: 402 49.88% Mostly satisfied, but could be better: 301 37.34% Not very satisfied: 103 12.78%

How long have you been a member of the group?

How long have you been a member of the group? Total votes: 806 Longer than a year: 595 73.82% 3 months - 1 year: 159 19.73% I joined within the last 3 months: 52 6.45%

How often do you participate in your local meetup group’s events?

How often do you participate in your local meetup group’s events? Total votes: 806 I attend a few per year: 352 43.67% I never attend: 117 14.52% I attend every month: 107 13.28% I attend every event: 88 10.92% I used to attend regularly, but I've moved away and no longer attend: 63 7.82% I attend multiple times a month: 48 5.96% I attended during a trip to this city, but no longer attend: 18 2.23% My local group's first event is coming up, so I haven't participated yet: 13 1.61%

Did you attend any online WordPress events in 2020?

Did you attend any online WordPress events in 2020? Total votes: 806 Yes: 440 54.59% No: 366 45.41%

Did you attend any WordPress meetup events, other than your local WordPress meetup, in 2020?

Did you attend any online WordPress events in 2020? Total votes: 435 Yes: 219 50.34% No: 216 49.66%

Which tool works best for online meetups (in your experience)?

Which tool works best for online meetups (in your experience)? Total votes: 435 Zoom: 298 68.51% Google Meet/Hangouts: 39 8.97% Other option: 31 7.13% YouTube: 29 6.67% Jitsi: 16 3.68% Microsoft Teams: 14 3.22% GoToMeeting: 6 1.38% AirMeet: 2 0.46% Join.me: 0%

How do you like online WordPress meetups?

How do you like online WordPress meetups? Total votes: 438 I like them a lot: 210 47.95% They're okay: 135 30.82% I prefer in-person events: 56 12.79% I liked them at first, but I'm tired of online events in general: 37 8.45%

When in-person events return, would you like those events to be streamed online?

When in-person events return, would you like those events to be streamed online? Total votes: 3018 - Total respondents: 439 The topic: 468 15.51% Time of day: 415 13.75% Day of week: 365 12.09% Online/Offline: 358 11.86% Work schedule: 317 10.5% Location/venue: 300 9.94% Cost: 150 4.97% Language: 128 4.24% Speaker: 115 3.81% Format: 104 3.45% Transportation/Parking: 96 3.18% Other: 65 2.15% Waitlist: 40 1.33% Number of people RSVPing: 28 0.93% Who else RSVPed? 24 0.8% Childcare: 23 0.76% Refreshments: 22 0.73%

What factors affect whether you attend meetups or not?

What factors affect whether you attend meetups or not?

What types of events appeal to you?

What types of events appeal to you? Answers: 806 Responses: 4606 Online events: 598 12.98% In-person events: 570 12.38% Workshop/training: 536 11.64% Presentation + Q/A: 500 10.86% Discussion groups: 379 8.23% Show & tell: 339 7.36% Helpdesk: 307 6.67% Working on site/projects: 294 6.38% Happy hour: 187 4.06% Discussion groups for LearnWP: 178 3.86% Lightning talks: 146 3.17% Videos from WP.tv and discuss: 146 3.17% Watch WordCamp livestream: 140 3.04% Hackathon 122 2.58% Brown bag lunch: 28 0.61%

 

Would you be interested in organizing events within your group?

Would you be interested in organizing events within your group? Answers: 806 No: 339 42.06 Maybe 309 38.34% Yes: 158 19.6%

How likely are you to recommend WordPress meetups to a friend or colleague?

How likely are you to recommend WordPress meetups to a friend or colleague? Answers: 806 Very likely: 494 61.29% Somewhat likely: 253 31.39% Somewhat unlikely: 35 4.34% Not at all likely: 24 2.98%

The 2021 Annual Survey

The next annual survey for meetup group members will likely be sent towards the beginning of 2022. Let’s brainstorm some ways to improve it: 

  • Are there any questions that you would like to see asked of your meetup members?
  • Are there any questions in the current survey that are not useful and could be removed from the survey?
  • How can we engage more members to participate?

Please let us know in the comments!

#meetups 
#annual-survey
#survey