Communication Research: Where Airmen Get Information

1
Communication ResearchWhere Airmen Get
Information

• Major Rob Pope
• SAF/CMA

2
Overview

• Noteworthy third-party data
• Where Airmen Get Information (WAGI)
• Other research projects

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Info PreferencesNoteworthy Third-party Data

• Newspapers readership fell 1.7 from last year,
  to 52
• TV audience numbers are down, primarily due to
  lifestyle changes (longer commutes, etc.),
  Internet usage, and some decline in interest in
  news
• Radio audience remains stable w/ gt93 of people
  listening at least some each week news/talk/info
  audience stable at 15.9
• Online while online use rose more than an hour
  last year, the number of Americans who go online
  for news every day dropped 7 last year, to 27
• Blogs audience has increased 12 in a year, to
  39
• New media
• Only 8 of MP3 player owners listen to news
  podcasts
• Only 6 of cell phone owners get news on their
  phones
• 18.5 of PDA owners get news on them
• 12 of Internet users had downloaded a podcast
  many were teenagers
• Just 5 have used RSS, while 88 dont know what
  RSS is
• Nearly 75 of people are not interested in
  watching TV on handheld devices

Source Pew Research Centers State of the News
Media 2007 Report, As reported by OSD PA Research
Analysis 20 Mar 07 Public Affairs by the
Numbers
4
Where Airmen Get Information

• Purpose
• Explore where and how Airmen and AF civilians
  prefer to get info about the Air Force
• Results will drive decisions on which channels to
  retain and improve and which channels to
  discontinue
• Methodology
• Focus groups with 91 Total Force Airmen and AF
  civilians at 3 bases, Nov 06 Jan 07
• Web-based survey, answered by 1,600 Airmen and
  AF civilians, Mar 07

5
WAGISurvey Questions

• Overall satisfaction with AF communication
• Info-gathering preferences
• Fifteen specified AF communication products /
  channels
• Other (non-AF) sources of info
• New communication technologies / media

6
WAGIGeneral Observations Conclusions

• The communication environment focus group
  participants
• Are interested only in info that affects them
  personally
• Receive too much info, yet rely on receiving a
  message via multiple channels for it to register
  as important
• Dont want more info pushed to them, but are
  unwilling to seek (or pull) info themselves

7
WAGIGeneral Observations Conclusions

• The good news
• Top-down emails within the chain of command are
  viewed as a highly valuable source of AF-specific
  info (though many also complain of too much
  email)
• In-person meetings or briefings from the
  Commander, supervisor, or First Sergeant are
  valued sources of AF info
• Commanders Call is perceived as a slow but
  reliable source of important AF info If its
  important, it will be brought up at commanders
  call
• Audience uses (94) and values the base
  newspaper prefers hardcopy (61) over
  electronic (14) may not be using paper
  primarily for news
• AF Portal, AF Link, and Airman magazine are also
  highly used and valued
• The rest of the story
• Many other AF products not highly used or valued
  by internal audience radio, TV, and streaming
  audio and video fared poorly
• Little interest in or use of new media
  technologies

8
WAGIOverall Satisfaction
Average Rating 6.8
N1,040
9
WAGI Info gathering preferences
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WAGI Info gathering preferences

• How audience would prefer to get info about
  AF-wide programs
• (matrix of channels and sources w/ 84 possible
  answers multiple responses possible)

Channel and Source
1 Official email from Commander 42
2 Official email from supervisor 39
3 Official email from First Sergeant 38
4 In person (meeting or briefing) from supervisor 36
5 Official email from USAF HQ 33
6 In person (meeting or briefing) from Commander 28
7 In person (meeting or briefing) from First Sergeant 25
8 In person (meeting or briefing) from co-worker 25
9 Official email from co-worker 25
10 Telephone call from supervisor 24
Top 9 preferences are email or in person
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WAGI Info-gathering preferences

• How audience would prefer to get info about
  AF-wide programs
• (matrix of channels and sources w/ 84 possible
  answers multiple responses possible)

Getting info from USAF HQ
Least preferred channels (any source)
Channel
Official email 42
Printed online 18
Printed on paper 17
Internet video 11
TV 9
Internet audio 8
Radio 7
Channel
Telephone text message
Radio
Internet audio
TV
Internet video
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WAGIInfo-gathering Preferences
N997
13
WAGI Info-gathering preferences
14
WAGI Info-gathering preferences
15
Where Airmen Get Information 2007 Survey
N1,331
16
Where Airmen Get Information 2007 Survey
N1,331
17
WAGI1/15 Air Force Portal
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
98.6 78.3 0.5 1 2 13

• Appears to be used more for career activities
  than AF info / news
• Most Airmen use Portal because they have to
  (65), not voluntarily (32)
• Portal needs improvement
• 36 - Its great, wouldnt change a thing
• 57 - Some parts are great, others need work
• 7 - Very little I like about the Portal
• Focus group feedback
• Use Portal primarily for personnel, training, and
  finance
• Frustration with non-applicable info that
  clutters workspace I dont need to see what
  CSAF is saying every time I log in
• Access is a major obstacle to Portal use CAC,
  changing passwords
• Finding info is a problem poor search engine
• Very little use or awareness of the Communities
  of Practice or AFKN

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WAGIAir Force Portal
Potential news / info sources
N1,349
19
WAGI2/15 Air Force Link
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
95.6 53.1 1.1 not asked not asked not asked

• Surveyed use of all links across top and right
  side of home page (28 total)
• Most used links News (50), Photos (36),
  Careers (35)
• Least used links AF Bandstand Player (1),
  Senior Leader Soundbites (1), AF Posture
  Statement (2)
• 28 cannot or do not use streaming media from AF
  Link (of those who know what streaming media is)
• Focus group feedback
• Very few knew of or used
• Of the few who had seen it, most had only visited
  once or twice
• Typically used to find out about the Air Force
  before entering the service
• Some only used it as a resource for photos or
  biographies

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WAGIAir Force Link
N1,305
21
WAGIAir Force Link
N1,305
22
WAGIAir Force Link
N1,305
23
WAGIAir Force Link
N1,305
24
WAGIAir Force Link
N1,209
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WAGI3/15 Base Newspaper
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
93.6 57.3 0.9 2 1 2

• On average, audience disagrees with statement,
  If the base paper went away, Id still be able
  to get the info I want and need without much
  trouble
• Prefer hardcopy (61) over electronic (14)
• Focus group feedback
• Most would not read online or via email
• The most popular sections were the classifieds,
  police blotter, man-on-the-street interviews,
  upcoming MWR offerings, and unit sports scores
• Often described as boring and not pertinent
  If its important, it will be brought up at
  commanders call
• Perception by Airmen in the Reserve and Air Guard
  wings was that the base paper serves only
  active-duty Airmen
• Base newspapers and their associated web-based
  versions seem to be more important for deployed
  Airmen

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WAGIBase Newspaper
N1,071
N1,061
27
WAGIBase Newspaper
N1,067
28
WAGI4/15 Airman Magazine
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
92.1 20.9 1.7 4 7 1

• Prefer hardcopy (47) over electronic (19)
• On average, audience is neutral on the statement,
  I would read more issues of Airman magazine, but
  sometimes I never see a copy to read
• Readership compared to last year 14 more, 59
  same, 27 less
• On average, audience disagrees with statement, I
  think Airman magazine is written with me in mind
  as the target audience
• Focus group feedback
• Many couldnt recall ever having seen a copy
• Seen by many as leisure-time reading
  entertainment, not news or the pictures are
  nice
• Some described as a window into the lives of
  other Airmen useful for seeing what life is
  like in other units, bases, MAJCOMs, and career
  fields
• A few indicated that The Book (Airmans annual
  almanac issue) is a valuable resource that they
  keep on hand

29
Use of Airman Magazine
N1,085
30
Use of Airman Magazine
N1,078
31
WAGI5/15 Commanders Call Topics
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
76.6 19.1 10.8 8 8 12

• 9 subscribe to CC Call Topics via email
• 10 forward CC Call Topics to others via email
  (61 forward to lt 5 others)
• Focus group feedback
• Commanders calls are perceived as a slow but
  reliable source of important AF info

Researcher comment may be confusion between
product and event
32
WAGI6/15 AF Print News (AFPN)
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
52.3 10.8 26.1 7 6 10
N646
33
WAGI 7/15 Commanders Access Channel
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
50.0 8.5 20.4 10 9 14

• On average, audience agrees with the statement,
  If the Commanders Access Channel went away, Id
  still be able to get the information I need from
  other sources
• Focus group feedback the vast majority did not
  know what a Commanders Access Channel is or
  whether one exists on their base

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WAGI 8/15 AIM Points
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
46.4 7.4 30.0 6 4 9

• Readership compared to last year 17 more, 56
  same, 27 less
• Focus group feedback very limited use or
  awareness

N506
35
WAGI 9/15 Around the Air Force (TV)
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
41.3 6.6 32.8 11 10 4
N483
N489
36
WAGI 10/15 USAF Highlights
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
39.4 6.2 36.9 14 14 7
N413
37
WAGI 11/15 Air Force Report (TV)
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
37.3 6.8 35.3 12 11 6
N404
N405
38
WAGI 12/15 Todays Air Force (TV)
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
33.6 5.2 35.3 5 5 3
N1,119
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WAGI 13/15 AF Policy Letter Digest
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
27.6 2.0 47.5 9 12 11

• Frequency of use 5 read every issue, 14 read
  most issues, 82 read an occasional issue

N329
40
WAGI 14/15 Chiefs View (TV)
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
26.9 4.4 41.7 3 3 8
41
WAGI 15/15 Around the AF (Radio)
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
24.4 2.6 43.3 13 13 5
N269
42
WAGIOther Sources of Information
43
WAGIOther Sources of Info

• General Focus groups
• CNN, BBC, and FOX News were the most-cited
  civilian news sources
• Not much use of radio, except during commute
• Air Force Times Focus groups
• Seen as both a primary info source and a
  sensationalist tabloid
• Approximately half indicated they read it
• Seen as a useful source for the rest of the
  story about negative AF stories Airmen wont
  hear in official channels
• Many said it is one of the first places they look
  for info such as pay charts, force shaping,
  promotions, retirements, and deaths

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WAGI New technologies / media
45
WAGI New technologies / media
46
WAGI New technologies / media

• Focus group feedback in general, very low usage
  of new info technologies
• Streaming video
• A small number reported watching streaming video
  from AF TV News, AFN, or the Pentagon Channel
• More reported streaming video from commercial
  sites
• Internet instant messaging
• Much higher use among younger Airmen than older
  Airmen
• Cell phone text messaging
• First-term Airmen and younger CGOs indicated a
  much higher use
• NCOs, FGOs, and older civilians indicated almost
  no use
• Blogging
• Very few use blogs
• Many indicated they dont know what blogging is
• Other indicated blogging is nothing more than
  unfiltered ranting or an online diary

47
WAGIAirmen as Communicators
N1,082
48
WAGIComputer Access at Work
N1,082
49
WAGIProduct Summary
Used (Ever) Used (Past Week) Never Heard of Important Timely Entertaining
AF Portal 98.6 78.3 0.5 1 2 13
AF Link 95.6 53.1 1.1 not asked not asked not asked
Base Newspaper 93.6 57.3 0.9 2 1 2
Airman Magazine 92.1 20.9 1.7 4 7 1
CC Call Topics 76.6 19.1 10.8 8 8 12
AF Print News 52.3 10.8 26.1 7 6 10
CC Access Channel 50.0 8.5 20.4 10 9 14
AIM Points 46.4 7.4 30.0 6 4 9
Around the AF (TV) 41.3 6.6 32.8 11 10 4
USAF Highlights 39.4 6.2 36.9 14 14 7
AF Report (TV) 37.3 6.8 35.3 12 11 6
Todays AF (TV) 33.6 5.2 35.3 5 5 3
AF Policy Letter Digest 27.6 2.0 47.5 9 12 1
Chiefs View (TV) 26.9 4.4 41.7 3 3 8
Around the AF (Radio) 24.4 2.6 43.3 13 13 5
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WAGISummary of Key Findings

• Feel overloaded with info, yet rely on receiving
  a message via multiple channels for it to
  register as important
• Dont want more info pushed to them, but are
  unwilling to seek (or pull) info themselves
• Interested only in info that affects them
  personally
• Satisfied overall with job AF does informing them
  (6.8 on 10-point scale)
• The most valued communication channels are e-mail
  and in person from chain of command
• Audience uses (94) and values the base
  newspaper prefers hardcopy (61) over electronic
  (14) may not be using paper primarily for news
• AF Portal (99), AF Link (96), and Airman
  magazine (92) also used and valued
• AF radio (24), TV (27 - 41), and streaming
  audio video fared poorly
• Little interest in or use of new media
  technologies to get info about the Air Force
  (single digits)

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Other Research Projects

• USAF Internal Communication Assessment Group
  (ICAG)
• Monthly questionnaires to AFs Nielsen Families
• Timely assessment of messages and products
• AF Week Phoenix commercial phone survey of
  civilians in Phoenix, pre- and post-event, to
  measure effect on public opinion
• AF Road Show questionnaires for speakers and
  their staffs, intended to answer Gen Moseley's
  questions,
• "What key message is each speaker delivering?"
• "Are our supporting materials helping them?"
• Audience questionnaires Once approved by OMB,
  we plan to have audience response cards
• AF Week (five more this year)
• AF Road Show (500 events per month)

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Questions?

• Maj Rob Pope
• SAF/CMA (Research and Assessment Division)
• DSN 227-1046
• robert.pope_at_pentagon.af.mil

WAGI Survey administered and analyzed by the
Everett Group under contract to SAF CM/PA