Thank you to everyone who participated in our reader survey this year. We had 46 responses – a small number, but still useful feedback as we continue to grow this service.

Overall, the responses were very positive, and very much in line with where Midwest Energy News was at this point in its development. The full results can be viewed here.

Percentages in the roundup below may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

Reaction to our journalism

72% of respondents read the digest daily, 23% more than once a week, and 4% a few times per month. Of those respondents:

93% strongly agree or agree that it is useful
88% strongly agree or agree that it is accurate
87% strongly agree or agree that it is comprehensive
98% strongly agree or agree that it is timely
81% strongly agree or agree that it is fair and unbiased
67% strongly agree or agree that it is their primary source of regional energy news

On our original reporting,

83% strongly agree or agree that it is accurate
93% strongly agree or agree that it covers important topics
68% strongly agree or agree that it covers topics overlooked by other media
89% strongly agree or agree that it is timely
77% strongly agree or agree that it is fair and unbiased

Demographics

Our reporting has focused largely on North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia so far, so as expected that’s where our largest concentration of readers has been:

North Carolina: 30%
Virginia: 13%
Georgia: 13%
Washington DC: 7%
Florida: 4%
Tennessee: 4%
South Carolina: 2%
Alabama: 2%
States outside Southeast: 26%

Like Midwest Energy News, Southeast Energy News is initially catching on more quickly in the advocacy/nonprofit space, but readership is growing in other sectors:

Policy/advocacy/NGO: 47%
Utilities/co-ops and other energy-related businesses: 28%
Media/communications: 4%
Govt/regulatory: 2%
Academia: 2%
Other (includes responses that could go in other categories): 17%

Our readers so far tend to be more likely to identify as a Democrat than a Republican:

Democrat: 51%
Independent: 28%
Republican: 13%
Other: 9%

Respondents are also very concerned about climate change:

Very concerned: 81%
Somewhat concerned: 13%
Not very concerned: 4%
Not at all concerned: 2%

For more data from the survey, click here to view the full results and feedback. We welcome additional comments, please feel free to contact me at paulman@energynews.us.

Thanks again to everyone who responded, with your help we hope to make Southeast Energy News bigger and better in the future.

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.