Cretox
Somehow, Palpatine has returned
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- Cretox State
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2020 WADP Survey Results
Greetings, all!
I'm pleased to present the results of the 2020 World Assembly Development Program survey, along with relevant commentary. As with prior years, this survey was a joint effort between r3n, the Security Council, and the Vice Delegate's office. Special thanks to my predecessor @Dreadton for his work on this last term. We received 102 total responses this year, and results look promising overall. We've also received excellent written feedback that will be put to good use. Below is a question-by-question breakdown of the results along with trends that we're seeing. There are 49 questions in total, and the survey was consistently advertised to TNP residents through Discord and telegram. An overview of last year's results can be found here.
Question 1 - Did you previously know about the World Assembly Development Program (WADP)?
Good results, though a decrease from last year's ~75%. Between the 3-day scripted telegram, advertisements, regionwide telegrams, constant RMB advertising, mass pings, and litany of other tools we use for WADP advertising, I'm not all too certain how 27.5% of respondents were unaware of its existence.
Question 2 - Do you have a nation in The North Pacific (TNP) that is a World Assembly member?
This result is somewhat puzzling when compared with that of question 1; how are TNP WAs unaware of the WADP with the constant barrage of WADP-related content they receive? An interesting inversion of what I expected going into this.
Question 3 - If no, please explain why.
Responses to this question can be categorized as such:
- I don't see the point.
- I don't like the WA as an institution.
- My WA is tied up elsewhere.
Question 4 - Do you exchange endorsements ("endotart") with other nations in TNP?
44.1% of respondents purportedly exchanging endorsements on a daily basis, with 68.6% exchanging endorsements at least weekly, is very nice to see. The 14.7% who don't endorse at all coincides with the 14.7% who don't have a TNP WA nation.
Question 5 - If no, please explain why.
I'm a puppet, bozo.
I've already endorsed everyone.
Not WA member
Not WA
no
I'm not a WA member.
What's that?
I think that my answer to previous question explains it
I don’t understand why or how
I am in the NPA, so I never have the time to. Before joining, I used to exchange every couple days.
Not WA member.
I don't know how
because i can't get others to endorse
I dont want to.
My WA nation exists elsewhere.
Beyond the standard "don't have WA," "NPA member," and "can't be bothered," 2 responses stand out to me:
- "I don't know how" - This likely indicates a lack of knowledge of our endotarting forum page.
- "Because I can't get others to endorse" - This is likely due to a lack of knowledge of how to write an effective endotarting TG or reach out to people. Alternatively, it could be due to not knowing that the endotarting page exists.
Question 6 - Do you telegram nations you endorse to ask for their endorsement?
A lot of 14.7% here. 85.3% of respondents not telegramming to ask for return endorsements tells me that people either don't know how to ask for endorsements, or don't bother with doing so. This is something to work on.
Question 7 - Do you use the "Endorse The North Pacific!" page?
This corroborates the conclusions drawn from the prior 2 questions' results: quite a few nations who endotart regularly don't use the endotarting page, and many endotarters don't send telegrams asking for return endorsements.
Question 8 - Which version of the "Endorse The North Pacific!" page do you prefer to use?
I'm curious to know how someone can simultaneously use the endotarting page and not use the endotarting page. Hat tip to the 45 fellow table users.
Question 9 - Please explain the choice you made above.
Interestingly, some respondents were unaware of Zen Mode or its purpose. Perhaps it could be positioned more prominently/higher up on the page.
Question 10 - Do you have any suggestions for improving the "Endorse The North Pacific!" page?
Plenty of understandable suggestions that I'll bring up to the SC.
Question 11 - Did you previously know about the Keepers of the North?
More people knew about the Keepers than the WADP itself, despite both initiatives usually being advertised simultaneously. 84.3% is hardly a bad thing, though. This could be chalked up to (1) Keepers being much easier to understand, and (2) the automated Keeper TGs.
Question 12 - Are you currently a Keeper of the North?
Same split as question 1 percentage-wise (did you previously know about the WADP?). More matching splits than expected thus far.
Question 13 - If no, please explain why.
Respondents saying that being a Keeper is "too much work" or that they don't know if they're a Keeper or not leads me to believe that people are unaware of some of the details or the less prominent dispatches pertaining to Keepers. This also applies to the WADP.
Question 14 - Did you previously know about voting on World Assembly resolutions?
Hopefully that 1 person now knows about voting on resolutions.
Question 15 - Do you generally vote on World Assembly resolutions?
79.4% generally voting both chambers is promising. No respondents reporting only voting on SC resolutions is fascinating. Perhaps the SC and what factors into the quality of a SC proposal is simply less intuitive.
Question 16 - If no, please explain why.
Very straightforward.
Question 17 - Did you previously know about the WADP censuses?
For those who don't know, the WADP censuses are used to determine which nations get WADP awards every month, and to track lifetime stats. To me, these results indicate that quite a few people don't have the time or the desire to read through the full breadth of dispatches explaining the WADP.
Question 18 - Do you actively seek to improve your nations' rankings in the WADP censuses?
The vast majority of respondents aware of the censuses reported actively trying to improve their rankings; a great result.
Question 19 - If no, please explain why.
NPA and other commitments aside, there seems to be an appearance of insurmountability associated with placing on the top bracket of WADP censuses. And that is true to some degree; not everyone can or wants to log in every day to top off their endorsements given, and many of the census categories are lifetime counts.
Question 20 - Do you have any suggestions for improving the WADP censuses?
"Link them in a location that is more convenient, it's currently hard to find them" - This is accurate. The censuses themselves are not prominently displayed, and are tucked under "Benefits" in the WADP dispatch collection.
Question 21 - Did you previously know about the WADP awards?
Some people knew of the awards and not the censuses, despite the censuses determining WADP awards.
Question 22 - Have you won any WADP awards with your nations?
This is interesting, considering that Keepers and new TNP WAs get awards each month. It could simply be an indication that some people are unfamiliar with the specifics of the WADP, or that some respondents are new nations that haven't received their first monthly awards yet.
Question 23 - Do you actively seek to win WADP awards with your nations?
The vast majority of people who have won a WADP award actively try to win them. This is a lower percentage than those who try to improve their census rankings. Reasonable, considering that awards are only a part of the censuses.
Question 24 - If no, please explain why.
Quite a few people reported that they aren't motivated by the awards (i.e., cards), though they still seek endorsements. Makes sense; cards are only a relatively small part of NS.
Question 25 - Do you have any suggestions for improving the WADP awards?
Better handling of ties, more concise TGs, and expanding what accomplishments are rewarded with cards are all things to look into.
Question 26 - Did you previously know about the WADP lifetime achievements?
Slightly fewer people knew of the lifetime achievements than the awards in general. Entirely predictable.
Question 27 - Have you won any WADP lifetime achievements with your nations?
This is simply a matter of visibility, since every nation that gives at least 1 endorsement or has WA status in TNP for at least 1 day gets a lifetime achievement. As it stands, lifetime achievements are an obscure and fairly hidden facet of the WADP. They're a nice bonus, but don't have much of a tangible effect on the program itself.
Question 28 - Do you actively seek to win WADP lifetime achievements with your nations?
Some respondents who seek lifetime achievements reportedly didn't receive any, despite almost certainly already receiving at least 1. Further indication of the less visible and relevant nature of lifetime achievements.
Question 29 - If no, please explain why.
A significant portion of responses focused on a lack of motivation to pursue lifetime achievements.
Question 30 - Do you have any suggestions for improving the WADP lifetime achievements?
More concise telegrams seem to be a recurring theme here. More specialized rewards, specifically rewarding cards for every achievement, is also something to look into.
Question 31 - Do you participate in the trading cards game?
69.6% of respondents reported participating in the trading cards game, yet only 50.0% reported actively seeking WADP awards. My takeaway here is that the current rewards structure isn't sufficiently motivating, or that this survey's questions could be phrased better.
Question 32 - Did you previously know about the WADP card lottery?
More respondents know of the card lottery than participate in the trading cards game. This indicates that some respondents simply aren't motivated by trading cards, and choose to not partake in that part of the WADP despite being aware of it.
Question 33 - Have your nations won any trading cards through the WADP card lottery?
A decent split. With how many nations are eligible for the daily lotteries, it makes sense that newer nations especially might not have received a card through the lottery yet.
Question 34 - Do you actively seek to improve your chances of winning the WADP card lottery with your nations?
Fewer respondents reported actively seeking to improve their lottery odds than actively pursuing WADP awards or lifetime achievements. This is understandable: the lottery is a comparatively passive initiative with low barriers to entry.
Question 35 - If no, please explain why.
Dont feel like it
-
I have no real interest in the card side of NationStates.
not that important to me
Go away.
I don't care about cards and I don't trade them
Note: I don't care about cards.
Again, lack of knowledge of how to improve my chances.
Not WA member
Now I know about it I will.
I might in the future, but cards aren't my main focus in NS. Currently it is just improving my stats in the censuses, and it used to be gaining as many endorsements as I could until I gained too many and I legally couldn't actively try to gain endorsements anymore as I had hit the legal limit.
I seek to increase my endorsements and influence, which may happen to advantage me in the lottery, but that's not the purpose.
I dont want to use cards
Don't feel like it.
Didn't know about it.
Because I'm not interested.
I get my cards from Issues
I am not part of WA in The North Pacific and as this nation is more like of an experiment rather than "serious" attempt at governing a nation I prefer to not switch my WA nation to this one.
Um
Tedious and then I have to drop WA again for NPA stuff
did not know about it
Since I card farm already, I don't really put much effort or thought into other methods of attaining cards.
I don't care about it
I dont take part in these games.
meh
I have no interest in cards
Not really interested in it
i don't know how to acces the cards :/
Idk it
Not actively, but I do the tasks anyway. I'm not that competitive
I do not have the time to devote.
im noob sorry
Look above. idc.
I haven't entered that "world" and community surrounding cards, but I plan on doing that soon
I didn't know about the WADP
My WA nation exists elsewhere.
I don't care.
Ugh
I card farm, So i get the cards i need from by puppets rather than getting the chance to get the card you want.
Respondents largely either weren't aware of the lottery or simply aren't interested in pursuing it. This is predictable, considering the passive nature of the lottery compared to other areas of the WADP.
Question 36 - Do you have any suggestions for improving the WADP card lottery?
No
no
No.
N/A
nope
-
3 persons win legendaries and 3 persons win epic cards
Yes making even more.
Nope.
Nope
I don't.
None
Not really. Chances are slim, but fair
no its perfect still
Maybe picking me a few more times
none that i can think of. I think they are fine as is
Self-explanatory.
Question 37 - If you had to pick just one reason to participate in the WADP, what would it be?
The most diverse question of the survey. The majority of respondents reported that they believe the main reason to participate in the WADP is endorsement and influence gain, with a significant minority reporting that WADP awards, censuses, and cards are the primary driver in their eyes.
Question 38 - Did you previously know about the WADP statistics?
57.8% is higher than I expected. It's nice to know that the majority of respondents are at least aware of the statistics page, even though it's not referenced publicly too often.
Question 39 - Do you find the WADP statistics useful?
Another pleasant surprise. 75.5% is a significantly higher percentage of respondents than I anticipated, and it's great to see that so many people find the statistics useful.
Question 40 - Do you have any suggestions for improving the WADP statistics?
The responses to this question that caught my eye are:
- "Make the results more public" - something to look into, given that so many respondents reported finding the statistics useful.
- "I just think they are useless." - Given that the statistics are primarily there as reference material, this is completely understandable.
Question 41 - Did you previously know about the Security Council of The North Pacific?
Hopefully, that 10.8% now knows of the SC. It's difficult to see how they didn't, considering that the SC is advertised through the region's world factbook entry, scripted telegrams sent to every new nation, and consistent endorsement alerts.
Question 42 - Do you generally endorse members of the Security Council of The North Pacific?
The vast majority of respondents reporting that they know of the SC also indicated that they generally endorse SCers. Great to see.
Question 43 - If no, please explain why.
Lo siento, no hablo ingles. Other WA commitments interfering with endorsing SCers is understandable, and the existing volume of SC advertising guarantees that people learn of the SC quite quickly.
Question 44 - Do you generally approve ("upvote") WADP-related dispatches?
This is also a better result than I expected. While not immediately essential to the region's security, upvoting dispatches is nevertheless important for ensuring that our security efforts and programs are visible and seen as an accepted point of authority by new nations.
Question 45 - If no, please explain why.
Given the prevalence of telegrams, Discord pings, and the forum for communication, it's understandable that quite a few respondents aren't aware of or don't take the time to read through these dispatches in their entirety, if somewhat disappointing.
Question 46 - Do you have any other suggestions or comments about the WADP?
Question 47 - Do you have an account on the regional forum?
Given that this survey was extensively advertised through regional TG as well as Discord and the forum, these results are reasonable.
Question 48 - Are you a citizen of The North Pacific?
It's pleasing to see that the vast majority of respondents with forum accounts are also citizens. It also makes sense, given that citizenship necessitates a forum account.
Question 49 - What is the name of your nation?
Yeah... not giving the responses to this one.
