Results of Our Spring Student Survey for the 2022-2023 Academic Year
During April and May of this year, we emailed a survey to 10,370 students and faculty enrolled in our University Free Subscription Program. Of this number, 7.8% of the students completed the survey. This group represents 400 colleges and universities across the US and in 41 other countries. 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?
To what degree has reading DailyChatter increased your knowledge of the world?
Do you agree that DailyChatter is reliable, independent, and nonpartisan?
A sample of comments:
“DailyChatter comments on the facts of different world situations without inserting strong opinions, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.”
“At this moment in time, it is vitally important that individuals and organizations value fair and independent reporting. So keep doing that, please.”
“The fact that [DailyChatter] cites sources and present them in their summaries with links means I can cross reference the sources myself too.”
“It is good to have nonbiased information. This is something so hard to come by nowadays. Greatly needed. Just. The. Facts!”
“Without pushing me to take a stance [DailyChatter] encourages critical thinking on the events reported.”
What other content would you like to see in the newsletter?
| #1 Summer internship opportunities | |||
| #2 Study abroad and student exchange programs | |||
| #3 Graduate degree programs | |||
| #4 News about student conferences | |||
| #5 Stories about students at other school’s written by the students | |||
| #6 Other | |||
Other content suggestions included: Success stories, international stories of universities globally, scholarships for international programs, internships or volunteering experiences, highlighting a person or group doing good in the world.
What other features would you like to see DailyChatter introduce to benefit our student readers?
| #1 A weekly quiz based on that week’s news stories and a chance to compare your performance to other DailyChatter readers | 48.6.% | |
| #2 A podcast | 44.8% | |
| #3 A phone app | 39.9% | |
| #4 A weekly essay on campus life at schools around the world written by students | 26% | |
| #5 Other | 3.3% |
Of those who answered, most respondents said they would not add any features. Some suggestions included: An interactive map featuring news by country/area, stories about climate change, columns by students about social issues in other countries, job opportunities, student interactive sessions on live media.
We hope you follow DailyChatter on Instagram (@daily.chatter). How can we improve our content to encourage students to sign up for a free subscription?
Suggestions included: photos of an event, interactive content, info graphs, news posts, a quiz.
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 | 41.2% |
| 37.9% | |
| 22.8% | |
| 14.1% | |
| 13.7% | |
| TikTok | 9% |
| Other | 0.9% |
Other suggestions included: Reddit, a longform podcast, Snapchat, or no social media presence.
How did you learn about DailyChatter?
| An email from my school | 61.5% |
| A professor or advisor | 21.7% |
| My school’s website | 3% |
| A student | 4% |
| Social media like Instagram | 1.2% |
| Other | 57.8% |
What’s the best way for us to let students on your campus know about DailyChatter?
#1 University emails and newsletter mentions
#2 Being listed on my school’s website
#3 Listings on your school’s website
#4 Fliers around campus
#5. Promotions on social media
#6 Via international affairs-related clubs
#7 A DailyChatter student ambassador program
#8 Ads in the school newspaper
What other newsletters do you read at least once a week? Responses included:
Atlantic Magazine, Associated Press, BBC, Bloomberg, campus newspapers, CNN, Financial Times, local newspapers, Morning Brew, New York Times, Politico, Reuters, Tangle, The Economist, The Guardian, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post
Is there anything you would like to see us do differently or improve on?
Of those who answered, most respondents said they would not do anything differently. Some suggested videos, photos, graphics, and more quizzes.
Selected Comments from Our Student Survey question:
In what way has free access to DailyChatter made a difference to you?
“I am able to increase my knowledge of the world, participate in class with more confidence and overall, be up to date with current affairs.” American University of Paris, France
“I’m able to stay up to date on global events (for free in DailyChatter) which are often locked behind paywalls of the news agencies I follow.” Smith College, US
“I am able to engage with the newsletters weekly and know I will get high quality, consistent news. I really appreciate the brevity and insight.” Yale University, US
“It’s my main connection to what’s happening outside of my country. I would hardly know anything about world affairs without DailyChatter. It’s the most informative, pertinent international news I receive.” Brigham Young University, US
“Free access enabling me to validate my research by using diverse sources.” Forman Christian College, Pakistan
“It’s let me learn more about the rest of the world’s news more than before, rather than just focusing on domestic news like other news sources I consult.” Brown University, US
“As a journalism student I am able to save money and time with this free, quality and reliable newsletter.” Durban University of Technology, South Africa
“It reminds me of the advantage to become knowledgeable at no cost.” Ashesi University, Ghana
“It has encouraged me to learn without the financial burden.” University of South Carolina, US
“I created a club at my university called the International News Group. We typically discuss what was reported in DailyChatter and we also use the links in the articles to further our understanding of international events.” Wesleyan University, US
“Equitable access to unbiased news sources.” Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
“Free access enhances my curiosity to know more about what is happening in the world.” American University of Nigeria
“Objective and unbiased reporting has been observed.” Queen’s University Belfast, Ireland
“Free access has provided me with independence to more valid citations to research.” University of Notre Dame, US
“I can learn current events and become informed for free!” Harvard University, US
“When I am busy, this is my main source for world news.” Indiana University, US
“I am able to understand what is going on around the world, more than I would be able to with any other news source and I feel this information is more accurate and unbiased than other sources.” University of Mississippi, US
“DailyChatter has helped by providing such diverse information on global topics in such an easily accessible way. It’s supplemented my learning and helped me follow global patterns.” John Cabot University, Italy
“It makes it much easier to stay up to date on worldly affairs while also coming from a legitimate source.” Northern Kentucky University, US
It means I can stay updated on the state of the world while living on a budget, because I am a college student and cannot justify the cost of subscribing to other good, reliable news sources.” Highline Community College, US.
“I love it. I feel more informed as a global citizen.” Haverford College, US
“With a tight budget, its great that I can have a curated news feed for international events without having to go through multiple newspapers” Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico
“It was incredible difference, being able to find news sources that had information all over the world allowed me to better understand it.” Florida International University, US
“Having free access to global news has made me more aware of global events, not just US centered events.” University of Denver, US
“I often don’t have time to read a long newsletter or listen to a full podcast. I love getting bite-sized news that I can read into more when I have the chance, while still learning a lot from these short briefings.” Columbia University, US
“It has made me want to read every day and take advantage as much as possible of every feature offered.” University of Cincinnati, US
“It makes me feel updated with worldwide news.” Parami University, Myanmar
“I’m deeply appreciative of the free access; it has diversified my news sources and I feel I learn about news that I don’t see reported elsewhere.” University of Minnesota, US