Once again, a magazine reader survey shows that NACUBO members are extremely satisfied with Business Officer. Closely paralleling the results of a similar survey conducted in 2010, the results of the recently completed survey show that 9 in 10 respondents rate their overall satisfaction with the magazine as "excellent/good." The magazine earns an even higher score—96 percent—for credibility of articles, as well as equally high scores for overall quality and content.
Almost two thirds of respondents read half or more of each issue. After reading Business Officer, readers say they are likely to call a colleague’s attention to an article (74 percent), copy or save an article (52 percent), and visit the NACUBO Web site (49 percent). About a third of respondents adopt a new strategy or modify a procedure as a result of something they’ve read, and nearly a fourth subsequently register for a NACUBO program or purchase a NACUBO product.
Feature articles are the best-read element of the magazine, with 94 percent reading them regularly or occasionally. Other sections with high readership are the Business Intel and Federal File departments, along with Vantage Point articles and On Balance interviews—all redesigned after the 2010 readership survey. Respondents would most like to read articles on topics of planning and budgeting, finance, organizational effectiveness, leadership and communication, and federal government actions/public policy—a list very similar to the most-preferred topics in the 2010 survey but in a slightly different sequence.
Again, as they did three years ago, respondents say Business Officer is the best-read of the publications in its market. Overall, 90 percent find it "extremely/somewhat useful," followed by the Chronicle of Higher Education (64 percent), Inside Higher Ed (45 percent), University Business (39 percent), and others.
The most striking change from the 2010 survey was the shift in preference for reading format. Now, half the respondents would like to access content through a combination of print and online delivery, compared to less than one third three years ago. Meanwhile, the proportion of respondents who prefer print only has declined from 60 percent in 2010 to 35 percent in 2013.
Research was conducted with a questionnaire mailed to a random sample of 2,000 readers by Stratton Publishing and Marketing Inc., a media research and publishing firm focusing on associations, universities, and corporate clients. The survey returned a response rate of 18 percent, representing a confidence level of 95 percent with a margin of error of +/– 5.12 percent.
Additional feedback about Business Officer from readers whose names weren’t selected for the survey is welcome at any time. Send your thoughts and suggestions to help@nacubo.org.