This year�s survey shows a large and loyal readership,
actively engaged with the enduring power of a print magazine as we make
plans to more fully utilize the best of the digital age.
When I began what would become a publishing career, in
1964 at age 8, my tools were few, and modest. My mother�s small typewriter.
Reams of carbon paper. And finally, plenty of pencils, to hand-draw
illustrations for each copy of my newsletter, an energetic jumble of
neighborhood goings-on, tidbits from 3rd grade, critiques of TV shows
(Rawhide and Combat! were favorites), and a few random items pulled verbatim
from the pages of the local daily paper. I must have thought this latter
addition of national and international news would lend some intellectual
heft to my fledgling venture.
A few more editions of the newsletter followed, on an
intermittent schedule, until an increasing load of homework, involvement in
organized sports, and events at school and church turned those few copies
into precious collectibles. To the end of her days 32 years later, three
months shy of 90, my grandmother kept that first newsletter proudly and
prominently on top of her bedroom dresser, under glass, like a prized museum
piece.
Back then, I knew my newsletter�s audience well: parents,
brother, grandparents, my great-grandmother, and three great-aunts. It was a
sweet deal: a guaranteed circulation to a friendly audience, receptive to
whatever content was inside, forgiving of errors and omissions, and
complimentary no matter what.
Things are different, of course, in the grown-up world of
publishing. Deadlines are sacred. Journalistic standards for accuracy are
high. Professionally done graphics must be fresh, clear and compelling. And
readers rightly judge each individual issue of a publication on its own
merit; it�s not so much how good you were, it�s whether you still are.
A big part of success in magazine publishing is knowing
your audience, and delivering what they want in engaging ways.
One way we get to know our audience is by directly
engaging readers in ways large and small. We do this with interactive photo
puzzlers; with submissions to our annual kids� art contest; with our
collegiate undergraduate writing contest; and with various other
reader-interaction features.
Another way we get to know you is through a readership
survey we conduct every few years.
The 2016 survey results are gratifying, satisfying, and
illuminating, a beacon helping to guide us through this digital age.
First, the great news: 86 percent of you are regular
readers, meaning you�ve read at least three of the last four issues, and
spend an average of 41 minutes with each issue, a remarkably high breadth
and depth of engagement.
Then, 76 percent of you take an action as a result of
reading Cooperative Living: 52 percent use one of our recipes; 36 percent
save articles or ads for future reference; 26 percent improve your home�s
energy efficiency; and 24 percent cut out a coupon. In addition, 15 percent
plan a trip, and 12 percent attend an event, as a result of the magazine.
Almost nine out of 10 of you (88 percent) own your home,
a rate much higher than the U.S. norm. These homes have an average value of
$312,000, and sit on tracts averaging a muscular 18 acres. A goodly number
of you also own a vacation home (13 percent) or condo (10 percent).
About 6 out of 10 of our readers are women, 71 percent of
you have taken some college courses, and 31 percent have a bachelor�s degree
or higher. In addition to being well-educated, you also love animals: 60
percent of you have a pet, and of this group, 69 percent own dogs and 58
percent own cats.
About half of you (49 percent) are employed, and average
household income is slightly above $79,000.
And average age? It continues an upward creep, from the
mid-50s a few years ago, to age 60 in this study. Our average reader, and I,
share this age, which hits the midpoint of the Baby Boom.
What to make of all this moving forward?
Well, we live in a digital age of heads bowed over
lighted screens.
We of a certain age, though, still relish ink on paper,
organic matter shaped into tablets at once timeless and timely, in their
finite size cradling the infinite variety of wisdom, wit and woe that
defines the human condition.
However, we also publish a digital version of Cooperative
Living that we will continue enhancing, while thankfully still living and
thriving in the world of print.
We intend to keep the fires burning, and the presses
rolling, in this world, as we work to enrich and deepen the power of the
printed word with the very best of the digital age.
Stay tuned for further developments, and thanks for
reading!
