Huge Study About Trek Fans

[Aike]

Found this anthropology study by Daryl Frazetti while surfing for Trek news earlier today. 5041 trekkies took part in a survey, according to the author.

Anthropology of Star Trek Fandom Survey -- The Results Are In!

Some interesting results of note
(many questions asked fans to define or explain selections, and that information has also been included in the final write up)

• 67% stated that given the finances, they would be far more involved.
• Fans felt that more involved was directly related to how much merchandise someone collected, costuming, and how many conventions a fan attends in a year.
• Overwhelmingly, 82% considered themselves to be average to below average in terms of involvement, while 18% went all out to go into elaborate detail about how extremely involved they were as fans.
• All fans were quite humble about their own levels of participation and always felt someone else was far more involved than they were.
• A whopping 79% responded that they participated because of the ideals of Star Trek and the bonding such ideals created with friends and within fandom overall, that they felt a stronger attraction to the messages of community and activism or to fandom culture over the Trek franchise.
• There was a wide range of responses to how fans chose to express themselves, how they felt Star Trek influenced or impacted them, and how they felt they fit as a member of this culture.
• IDIC (infinite diversity in infinite combinations) was the primary ideological choice – selected by 51% of fans, with Humanism and Christianity not too far behind.
• Not surprising , perhaps, “Trekkie” was the term of choice with respect to fan identity by 43% of those responding.
• Much surfaced as to how fans define their Trek, or canon.
• Females : 57% Males 43% , primarily single, over 40, and fairly well educated – all results from some of the basic demographics.

http://www.subspacecomms.com/content/2011/03/12/anthropology-star-trek-fandom-survey-results-are

 

[JarodRussell]

Fairly well educated singles over 40? Haha!

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Females : 57% Males 43%

Really?

 

[T'Girl]

A quote that best summed up much of this:

(In response to: Does the world still need Star Trek?)

“I think the world will always need Star Trek as an example of what a better world will be and what we can do as individuals to further the dream.

Whatever happen to Star Trek desperately needs to be "darker."

 

[C.E. Evans]

Females : 57% Males 43%

Really?

Only with this particular study, probably...television and movie audiences may be a different story altogether, IMO.

 

[RandyS]

Fairly well educated singles over 40? Haha!

Somebody needs to grow up.

 

[Deckerd]

I wonder if the subjects for this study were recruited at conventions? I would guess that far fewer fans than suggested in this study would ever go to a convention, or even buy merchandise.

 

[JiNX-01]

Females : 57% Males 43%

Really?

I'm surprised, too.

 

[SiorX]

Females : 57% Males 43%

Really?

I'm surprised, too.

There have always been a whole hell of a lot of female Trek fans over yonder in the other bit of the Internet though.

 

[WillsBabe]

^Doesn't really surprise me. Maybe it's who I've associated with but my experience of fandom everywhere but here is that it's at least 50-50 male-female split.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

So, more than half are single women over the age of forty?!

I want names, damn it! And some phone numbers.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Females : 57% Males 43%

Really?

Only with this particular study, probably...television and movie audiences may be a different story altogether, IMO.

How can you do a survey of Trek fans and not include most Trek fans?

I perused the paper a bit and found the answer: it's a self-selected group on the internet. That alone makes the data very suspect. If the data skews female because women are more likely to respond to surveys, then in what other ways are they unrepresentative? There's no way to know. That calls everything the survey found into question. If these guys want to do a valid survey, they need to work on their methodology.

 

[Theodore Jay Miller]

Fairly well educated singles over 40? Haha!

That's me, age 52, Master's degree, single.

 

[OwN]

Really?

Only with this particular study, probably...television and movie audiences may be a different story altogether, IMO.

How can you do a survey of Trek fans and not include most Trek fans?

I perused the paper a bit and found the answer: it's a self-selected group on the internet. That alone makes the data very suspect. If the data skews female because women are more likely to respond to surveys, then in what other ways are they unrepresentative? There's no way to know. That calls everything the survey found into question. If these guys want to do a valid survey, they need to work on their methodology.

I agree, I have a degree in Marketing, and some experience in marketing research in particular. The nature of the survey skews the results. I will say though, that it would be very difficult to get such an extensive pool of fans in a completely non biased sample format.

 

[heavylids]

This was kind of a disappointment. I was expecting a thorough psychological evaluation of fans. Certainly there has to be some similarities in Trek fans personality and how they view the world. It takes people of "above average" intellect to fully grasp and understand Trek. It's not a typical story based on mythology of good overcoming evil like Star Wars.

 

[JarodRussell]

This was kind of a disappointment. I was expecting a thorough psychological evaluation of fans. Certainly there has to be some similarities in Trek fans personality and how they view the world. It takes people of "above average" intellect to fully grasp and understand Trek. It's not a typical story based on mythology of good overcoming evil like Star Wars.

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh while reading this.

 

[Deckerd]

It takes people of "above average" intellect to fully grasp and understand Trek. It's not a typical story based on mythology of good overcoming evil like Star Wars.

On the other hand it's not a brilliantly produced television series that rewards full investment of your time and concentration, like the hugely successful The Wire, for instance.

 

[RandyS]

It takes people of "above average" intellect to fully grasp and understand Trek.

Hmm, This is what I'd call snobbery in reverse.

 

[Deckerd]

It takes people of "above average" intellect to fully grasp and understand Trek.

Hmm, This is what I'd call snobbery in reverse.

No, it's full-on snobbery, albeit completely misplaced.

 

[Nerys Myk]

This was kind of a disappointment. I was expecting a thorough psychological evaluation of fans. Certainly there has to be some similarities in Trek fans personality and how they view the world. It takes people of "above average" intellect to fully grasp and understand Trek. It's not a typical story based on mythology of good overcoming evil like Star Wars.

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh while reading this.

Me too.

Star Trek used just about every theme, trope, cliche and myth created by man. Setting them "IN SPACE!!!!" didn't make them more intellectual than the same stories set in the Old West or 20th Century. Subtly wasn't exactly a hallmark of Trek either.