LDS Book Reader Survey - Introduction

I. Introduction

A. Background and Methodology

The LDS Book Reader Survey was designed to gauge basic book reading and purchasing habits among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The main purpose of the study was to measure thoughts and habits related to book purchases, particularly books specifically connected to (written for) the LDS market.

The methodology used for the LDS Book Reader Study was an online study. The eight-question survey was posted on February 26 and fielded through March 12, 2010. Links to the survey were sent out through targeted e-mails and made available on LDS-related internet sites during the course of the two week time period. Some of the sites that posted links to the LDS Book Reader Survey include MormonTimes.com, LDSPublisher.com, LDSWomensBookReviews.com, as well as a number of blogs (8) written by published LDS authors. Additionally, a link to the survey was included in the eNewsletter The Bee-Line, which targets LDS residents in the Phoenix-metropolitan area.

A total of 408 respondents participated in the LDS Book Reader Survey. In a typical study where the data is collected in a truly random manner, this sample size would yield a margin of error of +4.9% at the 95% confidence level. However, due to the targeted nature of the study, the data collection process cannot be defined as truly random. In other words, not all LDS church members had an equal chance of participating in the study. As a result, those using this data should be cautious in relating it to the LDS population at large.

The LDS Book Reader Study is a not-for-profit endeavor sponsored and managed by Rebecca Irvine, an LDS author and Senior Analyst with WestGroup Research in Phoenix, Arizona. Although Ms. Irvine is a full-time employee of WestGroup Research, this study was a personal project and was not conducted using WestGroup Research resources.

B. Respondent Profile

As noted above, 408 respondents participated in the LDS Book Reader Survey. A strong majority of the survey respondents were female (86%). Seven of the 408 respondents reported they were of different faiths or skipped the religion preference question altogether; these seven respondents were filtered out of the data for the purposes of this report.

Although no other demographic questions were asked of the respondents, an open-ended question regarding where LDS books are purchased revealed that some LDS respondents from as far away as Australia and Great Britain participated in the study.

Click here to read the Summary of Findings