In April the UT Nieuws worked together with Newcom Research and Consultancy to conduct a survey of readers of the English page. Roughly 140 Dutch and international students and employees participated in the online survey.
The intent of the survey was to gain more insight as to which topics English page readers value, which sources readers use to obtain information and which aspects of the page might be improved. Respondents also answered questions about their activities and interests in an effort to gauge what types of articles might interest them in the future.
78% of the respondents were familiar with the UT Nieuws English page. Of those, 39% read all or most of the page. On average, readers spend nine minutes reading the page.
For only 17% of the respondents is English the native language. We counted no fewer than 33 different first languages among respondents!
The vast majority of respondents cited the UT website as a useful or very useful source of information. 62% of the respondents named the UT Nieuws (Dutch and English pages combined) as a useful or very useful information source.
To gain UT-related information, the English-speaking respondents look first to the UT website (86%), then to other people at the UT (71%), their respective program or research group website (36%), finally to the UT Nieuws (34%), and specifically to the English page (20%).
Subjects that interest the respondents most are: `Things to do in and around Enschede,' culture, research, education and the UT campus. Specifically, 62% of respondents expressed a desire to see more about events and activities in and around Enschede.
Respondents expressed a slight preference for shorter articles over longer, in-depth articles.
The importance of the English page to the UT community is confirmed by the fact that over a quarter of the respondents expressed an interest in playing a more active role in the UT Nieuws English page via a discussion group of readers.
While the UT Nieuws English page rated high in readability and design, the choice of subjects and their topicality rated lower. To this end, the team of writers and editors at the English page are actively working to increase the appeal and relevance of its articles. In late April, we began a lifestyle series of short articles to whet the wanderlust of international students who want to take advantage of cultural opportunities in Enschede, throughout the Netherlands and just over the Dutch borders. Additionally, in response to the request (42%) for more pertinent websites, we launched a weekly weblink column called `Click on it.'
Respondents also communicated their wish to see more English pages. That wish is not likely to be granted in the near future due to budgetary constraints. However, we intend to put out more double-page spreads in the coming issues.
