The Nonlinear Library EA - Updates on Community Health Survey Results by David Moss
Mar 20, 2024
21:41
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Updates on Community Health Survey Results, published by David Moss on March 20, 2024 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
Summary
Satisfaction with the EA community
Reported satisfaction, from 1 (Very dissatisfied) to 10 (Very satisfied), in December 2023/January 2024 was lower than when we last measured it shortly after the FTX crisis at the end of 2022 (6.77 vs. 6.99, respectively).
However, December 2023/January 2024 satisfaction ratings were higher than what people recalled their satisfaction being "shortly after the FTX collapse" (and their recalled level of satisfaction was lower than what we measured their satisfaction as being at the end of 2022).
We think it's plausible that satisfaction reached a nadir at some point later than December 2022, but may have improved since that point, while still being lower than pre-FTX.
Reasons for dissatisfaction with EA:
A number of factors were cited a similar number of times by respondents as Very important reasons for dissatisfaction, among those who provided a reason: Cause prioritization (22%), Leadership (20%), Justice, Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (JEID, 19%), Scandals (18%) and excessive Focus on AI / x-risk / longtermism (16%).
Including mentions of Important (12%) and Slightly important (7%) factors, JEID was the most commonly mentioned factor overall.
Changes in engagement over the last year
39% of respondents reported getting at least slightly less engaged, while 31% reported no change in engagement, and 29% reported increasing engagement.
Concrete changes in behavior
31% of respondents reported that they had stopped referring to "EA" while still promoting EA projects or ideas, and 15% that they had temporarily stopped promoting EA. Smaller percentages reported other changes such as ceasing to engage with online EA spaces (6.8%), permanently stopping promoting EA ideas or projects (6.3%), stopping attending EA events (5.5%), stopping working on any EA projects (4.3%) and stopping donating (2.5%).
Desire for more community change as a result of the FTX collapse
46% of respondents at least somewhat agreed that they would like to see the EA community change more than it already has, as a result of the FTX collapse, while 26% somewhat or strongly disagreed.
Trust in EA organizations
Reported trust in key EA organizations (Center for Effective Altruism, Open Philanthropy, and 80,000 Hours) were slightly lower than in our December 2022 post-FTX survey, though the change for 80,000 Hours did not reliably exclude no difference.
Perceived leadership vacuum
41% of respondents at least somewhat agreed that 'EA currently has a vacuum of leadership', while 22% somewhat or strongly disagreed.
As part of the EA Survey, Rethink Priorities has been tracking community health related metrics, such as satisfaction with the EA community. Since the FTX crisis in 2022, there has been considerable discussion regarding how that crisis, and other events, have impacted the EA community. In the recent aftermath of the FTX crisis, Rethink Priorities fielded a supplemental survey to assess whether and to what extent those events had affected community satisfaction and health.
Analyses of the supplemental survey showed relative reductions in satisfaction following FTX, while absolute satisfaction was still generally positive.
In this post, we report findings from a subsequent EA community survey, with data collected between December 11th 2023 and January 3rd 2024.[1]
Community satisfaction over time
There are multiple ways to assess community satisfaction over time, so as to establish possible changes following the FTX crisis and other subsequent negative events. We have 2022 data pre-FTX and shortly after FTX, as well as the recently-acquired data from 2023-2024, which also includes respondents' recalled satisfaction following FTX.[2] Satisf...
Summary
Satisfaction with the EA community
Reported satisfaction, from 1 (Very dissatisfied) to 10 (Very satisfied), in December 2023/January 2024 was lower than when we last measured it shortly after the FTX crisis at the end of 2022 (6.77 vs. 6.99, respectively).
However, December 2023/January 2024 satisfaction ratings were higher than what people recalled their satisfaction being "shortly after the FTX collapse" (and their recalled level of satisfaction was lower than what we measured their satisfaction as being at the end of 2022).
We think it's plausible that satisfaction reached a nadir at some point later than December 2022, but may have improved since that point, while still being lower than pre-FTX.
Reasons for dissatisfaction with EA:
A number of factors were cited a similar number of times by respondents as Very important reasons for dissatisfaction, among those who provided a reason: Cause prioritization (22%), Leadership (20%), Justice, Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (JEID, 19%), Scandals (18%) and excessive Focus on AI / x-risk / longtermism (16%).
Including mentions of Important (12%) and Slightly important (7%) factors, JEID was the most commonly mentioned factor overall.
Changes in engagement over the last year
39% of respondents reported getting at least slightly less engaged, while 31% reported no change in engagement, and 29% reported increasing engagement.
Concrete changes in behavior
31% of respondents reported that they had stopped referring to "EA" while still promoting EA projects or ideas, and 15% that they had temporarily stopped promoting EA. Smaller percentages reported other changes such as ceasing to engage with online EA spaces (6.8%), permanently stopping promoting EA ideas or projects (6.3%), stopping attending EA events (5.5%), stopping working on any EA projects (4.3%) and stopping donating (2.5%).
Desire for more community change as a result of the FTX collapse
46% of respondents at least somewhat agreed that they would like to see the EA community change more than it already has, as a result of the FTX collapse, while 26% somewhat or strongly disagreed.
Trust in EA organizations
Reported trust in key EA organizations (Center for Effective Altruism, Open Philanthropy, and 80,000 Hours) were slightly lower than in our December 2022 post-FTX survey, though the change for 80,000 Hours did not reliably exclude no difference.
Perceived leadership vacuum
41% of respondents at least somewhat agreed that 'EA currently has a vacuum of leadership', while 22% somewhat or strongly disagreed.
As part of the EA Survey, Rethink Priorities has been tracking community health related metrics, such as satisfaction with the EA community. Since the FTX crisis in 2022, there has been considerable discussion regarding how that crisis, and other events, have impacted the EA community. In the recent aftermath of the FTX crisis, Rethink Priorities fielded a supplemental survey to assess whether and to what extent those events had affected community satisfaction and health.
Analyses of the supplemental survey showed relative reductions in satisfaction following FTX, while absolute satisfaction was still generally positive.
In this post, we report findings from a subsequent EA community survey, with data collected between December 11th 2023 and January 3rd 2024.[1]
Community satisfaction over time
There are multiple ways to assess community satisfaction over time, so as to establish possible changes following the FTX crisis and other subsequent negative events. We have 2022 data pre-FTX and shortly after FTX, as well as the recently-acquired data from 2023-2024, which also includes respondents' recalled satisfaction following FTX.[2] Satisf...