Results of Our Spring Student Survey for the 2021-2022 Academic Year
During April and May of this year, we emailed a survey to 10,508 students and faculty enrolled in our University Free Subscription Program. This group represents 351 colleges and universities across the US and in 36 other countries. A total of 795 or 7.6% of recipients completed the survey. Below you will find the major findings along with a sampling of the many hundreds of open–ended comments received from students and faculty.
How often do you read DailyChatter on average each week?
| Daily | 312 | 39.1% |
| Multiple times a week | 305 | 38.3% |
| Once a week | 105 | 13.2% |
| Less than once a week | 75 | 9.4% |
To what degree has reading DailyChatter increased your knowledge of the world? Please rate this from 1 to 10 with 1 being no increase and 10 being a great deal.
| Significantly Increased (710) | 622 | 78% |
| Somewhat increased (46) | 133 | 16.7% |
| Slightly increased (13) | 42 | 5.4% |
Do you agree that DailyChatter is reliable, independent, and nonpartisan?
| Yes | 773 | 97% |
| No | 24 | 3% |
~ “It is very important that it is nonpartisan as we live in a very divided world right now.”
~ “DailyChatter brings us the information as it is….”
~ It is “SO refreshing to have media actually INFORM.”
How did you learn about DailyChatter? (Choose as many as apply)
| Email from your college/university | 520 | 65.2% |
| Faculty | 136 | 17.1% |
| School website | 43 | 5.4% |
| Classmate | 32 | 4% |
| DailyChatter’s website | 10 | 1.3% |
| Podcast or radio | 9 | 1.1% |
| Social media | 7 | .9% |
| Other | 40 | 5% |
What other content would you like to see in the newsletter:
| Internship opportunities | 333 | 41.8% |
| Entry-level job opportunities | 331 | 41.5% |
| Study Abroad/Exchange programs | 277 | 34.8% |
| Graduate degree programs | 242 | 30.4% |
| Student conferences | 241 | 30.2% |
| Summer programs | 227 | 28.5% |
| Other | 171 | 21.5% |
What other features would you like to see DailyChatter introduce to benefit our student readers? (Check all that apply in rank order)
| A phone app | 349 | 43.9% |
| A podcast | 339 | 42.6% |
| A weekly essay on campus life at universities around the world written by students | 271 | 34.1% |
| A weekly quiz based on that week’s news stories and a chance to compare your performance to other DailyChatter readers | 266 | 33.5% |
| Other | 82 | 10.3% |
(Other features suggested included: quizzes about languages and geography, brief background biography of an important newsworthy person, section on environmental issues, a science section, short entertaining videos with quizzes throughout)
Do you think DailyChatter should have an active social media presence and if so, where would you be most likely to interact with our content (choose your top 2)?
| I’m unlikely to engage with international news on social media | 328 | 41.2% |
| 302 | 37.9% | |
| 182 | 22.8% | |
| 112 | 14.1% | |
| 109 | 13.7% | |
| TikTok | 72 | 9% |
| Other | 7 | 0.9% |
(“Other” included: Reddit, longform podcast, Snapchat, no social media necessary)
Is there anything you would like to see us do differently or improve on?
Of those who answered, the majority said no, they would not do anything differently. Some suggestions included: photos and videos; more maps; an app; environmental and/or technology news, as well as more “good news” stories.
What’s the best way for us to let students on your campus know about DailyChatter (check all that apply in rank order)?
| University emails and newsletter mentions | 624 | 78.5% |
| Promoting on social media | 335 | 42.1% |
| Being listed on my university’s website | 267 | 33.6% |
| Being listed on my university library’s website | 258 | 32.5% |
| Via international affairs-related clubs | 203 | 25.5% |
| A DailyChatter student ambassador program | 201 | 25.3% |
| Advertising in the college newspaper | 174 | 21.9% |
| Physical fliers around campus | 171 | 21.5% |
| Other | 6 | 0.8% |
Selected Comments from Our Student Survey question:
In what way has free access to DailyChatter made a difference to you?
I know SO much more about what is going on around me. – Stanford University
It has allowed me to further my knowledge of what is going on in our world today with an easy click. – Georgia Southern University
It has made information in the world highly more accessible, considering most news outlets like this are not free. – Indiana University
It has introduced me to news that I would not have found from other sources that I am subscribed to, since foreign policy/international affairs specific media is often more expensive. –University of Notre Dame
I feel secure about the information that I get and feel motivated to read. – Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico
I get so much to read online these days; I need to choose what I read carefully. The fact that DailyChatter just shows up in my inbox matters. – Wesleyan University
It helps financially and assures that I receive up to date, thorough, informed news on world affairs. It’s a gift! – Hamilton College
Allows me to gain access to nonpartisan world news in bite sized chunks; I love the option of listening to the report while I’m multitasking. – Lafayette College
Much more accessible than news sites with paywalls or sites that require accounts to just read a single article. – Yale University
It’s a free way to get knowledge! – Lingnan University, Hong Kong
Learning about the world has been empowering and increased my knowledge of news happening outside of the United States. It has made me realize how truly important it is to have a global perspective as well as a domestic one. – University of Alabama
It has enabled me to gain vast information at a cheap rate. – Ashesi University, Ghana
I can stay up to date with things happening outside of campus with a more holistic view than just my campus news! – Yale University
[I have] confidence in class discussions. – University of Mississippi
I have no budget as a college student, so being able to get comprehensive free news from around the world directly to my inbox is unmatched. – University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Free access to Daily Chatter has helped me relate what I’m learning in classes to global events without taking much time away from my school readings. – Harvard University
I’m thankful for the varying stories around the world. While I try to follow the news as best I can, Daily Chatter gives me bite sized updates to situations around the world that I may not have known about otherwise. – University of Minnesota
Most quality journalism (especially concerning international events) is hidden behind monthly subscription paywalls that I cannot afford. DailyChatter operates as an excellent starting point for research on important topics that I may otherwise have missed completely, allowing me to broaden my horizons and become a more informed American and global citizen. – Boston College
International news is more easily available, and I have no good reason to NOT stay informed. – Connecticut College
I can stay educationally informed on the news of the world without worrying about false media. – University of Hawaii
I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it, and I love reading international news that comes from different sources and presents information in an unbiased manner. – St. Lawrence University
It has maintained my ability to be a good citizen of the world by staying informed of what’s going on. – Colby College
Digital access to world news has made information more readily available and convenient for reading anytime during the day. Free access has given me a greater deal of insight and knowledge on what goes on around me. – Effat University, Saudi Arabia
It makes news more accessible and reduces the college bubble that tends to happen. – Carleton College
It has allowed me to broaden my knowledge on world news without taking too much time out of my day to conduct my own research. – Brown University
It gives me access to easy and free news. LivingStone International University, Ghana
It introduces me to news items and other topics that are not in my routine information sources. – Xavier University
I have access to verified news. – American College of Greece
There is a lot of idle, empty talk in the world about inconsequential things. I call it “junk knowledge.” DailyChatter focuses on what’s important and informative and what matters. – Ohio Wesleyan University
Quick articles on international topics save time and keep me informed. – University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
It has expanded my mind to more possibilities and ensured that I’m up to date with the news. – American University of Nigeria
The convenience is unmatched!… DailyChatter is sent right to my email each morning and I love the short, succinct format…I want to get a taste of today’s global news while I’m eating breakfast then go about my day without being tied to my phone/computer for more than five minutes…And the geomap/location infographic at the beginning of each piece is fun and informative. – American University of Paris.
It’s a one stop place to see many international news events that would be easily overlooked through other sources. – Washington State University
It enabled me to maintain a tight budget yet expand my knowledge of world events and politics. – Auburn University
I’m more aware of news around the world in ways I couldn’t have known previously. Also, I indirectly learn about some countries and where they are on the world map. – University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Helps to inform my daily work & often piques my interest given the geographic range covered. – University of Wisconsin
The access allows for a quick overview on news that isn’t always on the national radar. Being free certainly helps make the choice to diversify news outlets and include this source. – Northern Kentucky University
Great possibility to learn much more in an easy way. – American University of Central Asia
Gives me world news every day. I don’t have to look for it and I have learned so much about world politics, peoples struggles and global environmental issues. Look forward to it every morning. – Tufts University
This free access has helped me increase my knowledge on what is going on around me as well as what is going on in the world. – Highline College