Help us serve Worcester better. This short survey (3–5 minutes) helps The Worcester Guardian understand who we reach, what you want more of, and how we can make our reporting accessible. Most questions are optional. We report results in aggregate and do not sell personal data.
A) About you (demographics)
- What is your age range? (Multiple choice)
- Under 18
- 18–24
- 25–34
- 35–44
- 45–54
- 55–64
- 65+
- Prefer not to say
- How do you describe your gender? (Multiple choice)
- Woman
- Man
- Non-binary / genderqueer
- Another identity (short answer)
- Prefer not to say
- Do you identify as Hispanic/Latino/a/x? (Multiple choice)
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
- Which race/ethnicity do you identify with? (Checkboxes; select all that apply)
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Middle Eastern or North African
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- White
- Another race/ethnicity (short answer)
- Prefer not to say
- What is your highest level of education completed? (Multiple choice)
- Some high school or less
- High school diploma/GED
- Some college/associate degree
- Bachelor’s degree
- Graduate/professional degree
- Prefer not to say
- Which best describes your current work situation? (Multiple choice)
- Employed full-time
- Employed part-time
- Self-employed
- Student
- Retired
- Unemployed / seeking work
- Not currently working
- Prefer not to say
B) Where you live (region + Worcester district)
- Where do you live most of the year? (Multiple choice)
- Worcester (city)
- Another city/town in Worcester County
- Another part of Massachusetts
- Outside Massachusetts
- Prefer not to say
- If you live in Worcester, which Worcester City Council district are you in? (Multiple choice; include “Not sure”)
- District 1
- District 2
- District 3
- District 4
- District 5
- Not sure / I don’t know
- I do not live in Worcester
- Zip code (optional): (Short answer)(You can make this optional but strongly recommended; it’s often more accurate than asking district alone.)
- How long have you lived in the Worcester area? (Multiple choice)
- Less than 1 year
- 1–3 years
- 4–10 years
- 11–20 years
- More than 20 years
- I don’t live in the Worcester area
C) Language and accessibility
- What language do you prefer for reading news? (Multiple choice)
- English
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Vietnamese
- Albanian
- Chinese (Simplified/Traditional)
- Arabic
- Other (short answer)
- What language do you speak most often at home? (Multiple choice; same options as Q11)
- How comfortable are you reading news in English? (Multiple choice)
- Very comfortable
- Somewhat comfortable
- Not very comfortable
- I do not read in English
- Would you use Worcester Guardian reporting in another language if it were available? (Multiple choice)
- Yes, regularly
- Yes, occasionally
- Maybe
- No
- Not sure
- Do you have any accessibility needs we should consider? (Checkboxes)
- Larger text / easier-to-read layouts
- Audio versions of stories
- Captions/transcripts for videos
- Screen-reader friendly formatting
- None
- Other (short answer)
D) How you use The Worcester Guardian
- How often do you read The Worcester Guardian? (Multiple choice)
- Daily
- A few times per week
- About once per week
- A few times per month
- Rarely (I’m new here)
- How do you usually access our journalism? (Checkboxes)
- Website on phone
- Website on computer
- Email newsletter
- Social media (Facebook/Instagram/X/etc.)
- Shared by friends/family
- Google search
- Other (short answer)
- What topics do you most want from The Worcester Guardian? (Checkboxes; select up to 5 if your platform allows)
- City Hall / local government
- Public safety / courts
- Schools / education
- Housing / development
- Jobs / business
- Health care
- Arts / culture
- Environment
- Transportation
- Neighborhood/community news
- Local politics (elections, campaigns)
- Investigations / accountability reporting
- Opinion / commentary
- Sports
- Other (short answer)
- How much do you trust The Worcester Guardian as a source of local news? (1–5 scale)
- 1 (Not at all) to 5 (A great deal)
- What is one thing we should do more of, or do better? (Long answer)
E) Subscription and support (payment + donations)
- Would you pay for local news if it helped sustain independent reporting? (Multiple choice)
- Yes
- No
- Maybe / depends
- If yes or maybe, what price feels reasonable for a monthly subscription? (Multiple choice)
- $3/month
- $5/month
- $8/month
- $10/month
- $15/month
- I prefer annual
- I would not pay
- Which support model would you prefer? (Multiple choice)
- Subscription (paywall or member access)
- Voluntary membership/donation (no paywall)
- Combination of both
- Not sure
- Have you donated to The Worcester Guardian before? (Multiple choice)
- Yes, in the last 12 months
- Yes, more than 12 months ago
- No
- Not sure
- How likely are you to donate in the future? (Multiple choice)
- Very likely
- Somewhat likely
- Not likely
- Not sure
- If you donate (or might donate), what motivates you most? (Checkboxes)
- Keeping local journalism alive
- Investigations/accountability reporting
- More coverage of my neighborhood/community
- Coverage in my preferred language
- Education/schools coverage
- Civic information (elections, City Hall)
- I value nonprofit news
- Other (short answer)
F) Subscribe / follow-up (optional contact)
- Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter and updates? (Multiple choice)
- Yes
- No
- Email address (optional): (Short answer; only show if “Yes” above)
- May we contact you for occasional reader interviews or feedback? (Multiple choice)
- Yes
- No
- Preferred contact language: (Multiple choice; same as Q11)
Implementation notes
- Make Q7 required; keep demographic items optional to reduce drop-off.
- Use skip logic: Q8 only appears if Q7 = Worcester. Q22 only appears if Q21 ≠ “No.” Q28 only appears if Q27 = Yes.
- If you want higher district accuracy, include a brief parenthetical under Q8: “Not sure? Choose ‘Not sure’—we can estimate using zip code.”