It’s that time of the year again: Time for you guys to give me data so I can drool over correlations and make pretty graphs! Yes, it’s time for the Blag Hag 2011 census!
The survey is only 13 questions, so it shouldn’t take very long. And if you fill it out, I’ll be able to better understand what my readership looks like, what they enjoy about my blog, and how that changes over time. I’m really curious to see if we find any interesting correlations, or how things have changed since last year’s census.
Fill out the Blag Hag 2011 census here!
Last year 467 people took the survey, so hopefully we can crush that number. I’ll leave it up for a couple of days so enough people have the chance to take it. Though knowing last year, I’ll get antsy and want to crunch some numbers, so take it sooner rather than later!
And as a disclaimer, I promise I’m not selling this information to anyone or using it to stalk you. At most, you’ll be part of a pretty graph or some interesting comments will be posted here anonymously.
Now, go take it!
61 comments
Cameron Brown says:
Mar 19, 2011
Done and done
loreleion says:
Mar 19, 2011
I don’t understand what atheist religious Jew means… I don’t think this is it:http://www.smbc-comics.com/ind…
Jessica Lee says:
Mar 19, 2011
and be sure to let us fill out more than one country. I will cry if you make me try to figure out where I’m from. I had a freakout trying to decide where was my “hometown” for my diploma. I put California only because if I put elsewhere I’ll get treated as foreignor. Which I am not. I think. i dont know. noooo dont make me think of where i’m from!!!
Libby says:
Mar 19, 2011
My 16th birthday is tomorrow, but I ticked “fifteen or younger” since most of the time I’ve been following your blog, I’ve been fifteen, and it felt more accurate.
Rob U says:
Mar 19, 2011
He could be from Canada.Stephen Harper, our current Prime Minister, cancelled the 2011 Long Form Census this year, even though we were due for one, in lieu of using a voluntary Census. Lots of people in various public service groups are really upset about it too as they use the Census numbers to decide how to provide services. They are rightly concerned that with the Long Form being voluntary only certain groups will bother to respond and it will skew the numbers resulting in a disproportionate allocation of public funds to some areas at the expense of those who *really* need it.Even regular run of the mill citizens, like me, are upset that they won’t be doing the Long Census.The Short Form that everyone has to fill out is all basic information the government is likely to have anyway, see http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/… for the list of Short Form questions, but when looking at the Short Form you’ll notice there is nothing on there about a person’s Religion.With Harper being a Conservative from Alberta, who’s been known to cozy up to the Evangelicals from time to time. From an Atheistic perspective I have to wonder if he’s preventing the Long Form because some of his backers really don’t want to just how many non-Christians live in Canada, that way current funding regimes stay just as they are, and are even hopeful that abject apathy and general laziness will keep everyone holding an “undesirable” religious viewpoint from filling out the form thereby skewing the religious affiliation numbers.Ummm, does anyone else think that sounds conspiracy theoryish? :-) It probably just has something to with Harper wanting to siphon the funds spent collecting the census to one of his pet projects or something.
Charly says:
Mar 20, 2011
I would like to elaborate on on the question: “Please select all of the activities that you have done”I ticked both the boxes “Are an “out” non-theist to family” and “Are an “out” non-theist to non-family”, but I think some clarification is in order. Firstly, it is not a big deal bo be out atheist to family, since most of my family are atheists. Secondly, it is not a big deal to be out atheist to the public here. Czech Republic is either first or second most atheistic country in the world – depends on which poll/survey you find.So I felt a little as if I was ticking a box with “Has two legs/has two hands”, since being atheists is pretty much the standard around here. Nevertheless religious folks and accomodationalist atheists exist here too and therefore I could honestly tick “Written articles, blog posts, or books about atheist/skeptical issues” albeit it is only one teensy weensy blog post I wrote.
Michael Brown says:
Mar 20, 2011
Yes, that’s what I meant.
Setar says:
Mar 21, 2011
Data! Lovely, amazing, beautiful data! Of course I participated. Though, while I did tick the ‘out’ boxes for both family and non-family, my family really don’t care (my close family are all outright nonreligious or ‘faitheists’ who get married and have funerals in church) and my friends are all (as far as I know) atheists.Furthermore, I live up here in amazingly sunny (for now) Vancouver, where religious diversity is so high that looking down on someone for their religious belief — any religious belief — appears to be moreso the exception than the rule, though we do have a Mormon temple and I’ve seen the Jehovah’s Witnesses (and on occasion the Mormons) out at transit exchanges. There’s one old guy who’s really dedicated; if you’re around Surrey Central Station you’ll probably see him sitting in his scooter under cover by the elevator holding up a copy of The Watchtower (with more on his lap). Sadly, I’m usually too busy to engage them — every time I’m down there I’m usually less than ten minutes from catching a bus.That being said, if anyone does happen to ask, I am an atheist and will say so, and I generally have a couple of pieces of godless literature in my backpack which is with me wherever I go.
Lisa says:
Mar 22, 2011
I didn’t even know they were the same thing, so picked Other (although – I wasn’t sure why all the Christian denominations were up there, whereas the other religions were ‘Muslim’ etc.)
Lisa says:
Mar 22, 2011
As I’ve said above – really confused why the survey is so specific about what Christian denomination you were, but isn’t about the other religions. I’d have been happy to tick Christian rather than try and figure out what all the funny words meant (I hadn’t heard of more than half of them)
Daniel Schealler says:
Mar 24, 2011
Took the survey the day you posted it.I don’t think my answers have changed at all given the new options.Do I need to take the survey again? Did you lose any data?