OTW 16th Anniversary Survey Report

Aug 26, 2026

The report documents the OTW user survey launched on September 5, 2023 to coincide with OTW’s 16th anniversary, aiming to identify online locations fans use for fandom activities and to measure baseline familiarity with OTW and its related projects. The survey ran for 16 days, attracted 90,607 survey accesses, and recorded 79,222 consent responses with 78,258 proceeding. Of 90,607 opening-page visits, 77,358 surveys were started and 67,361 completed, yielding an 87% retention rate, with detailed follow-up on question skipping, online spaces usage, and OTW familiarity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages69

Reading Time2 h 54 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Survey launch and purpose

Survey access, consent, and retention

Design of the Online Locations Section

Answers to Online Locations Questions

Online spaces and platforms

Fan convention participation

Design of the OTW Familiarity Section

Answers to the OTW Familiarity Section

OTW awareness and understanding

Visits and interactions with OTW projects (Fanlore, AO3, etc.)

Conclusion

Table of Contents I. Introduction....................................................................................................... 4 II. Design of the Online Locations Section........................................................ 6 III. Answers to Online Locations Questions...................................................... 8 Q2: How long have you been active in online fandom spaces?........................ 8 Q3: Online Spaces-Social Media................................................................... 10 Q4: Online Spaces-Video, Audio and Chat................................................... 12 Q5: Online Spaces-Archives and Galleries................................................... 14 Q6: Online Spaces-Blogging and Gaming..................................................... 17 Q7: Online Spaces-News, Information and Forums...................................... 19 Q8: Which online spaces do you most often use for engaging in fandom activities? (Choose up to three) ....................................................................... 22 Q9: Do you follow an official OTW account at any one of the online spaces you use?................................................................................................................. 30 Q10: Have you ever been to a fan convention (of any kind)?..........................31 Q11: How often have you been to a fan convention (of any kind)?................. 32 Q12: What kind of fan convention(s) have you been to? (Check all that apply) .. 34 IV. Design of the OTW Familiarity Section....................................................... 36 V. Answers to the OTW Familiarity Section..................................................... 37 Q13: Have you ever heard of the Organization for Transformative Works/OTW?................................................................................................... 37 Q14: Do you feel you understand what work the OTW does?.........................38 Q15: Have you ever visited the OTW website?............................................... 39 Q16: Have you ever searched the OTW website for information?.................. 41 Q17: Have you ever used the OTW contact form to ask a question?..............42 Q18: Have you ever heard of Fanlore?........................................................... 43 Q19: How often have you visited/used Fanlore?............................................. 44 Q20: Have you added content to Fanlore or edited an entry?.........................46 Q21: Have you ever heard of Transformative Works and Cultures?............... 47 Q22: How often have you visited/used Transformative Works and Cultures?.48 Q23: Have you ever heard of the Archive of Our Own/AO3?..........................49 Q24: How often have you visited the Archive of Our Own/AO3?.................... 50 Q25: Have you ever left comments or kudos at Archive of Our Own/AO3?....52 Q26: Have you ever downloaded a fanwork from Archive of Our Own/AO3?.53 Q27: Have you ever had an account at Archive of Our Own/AO3?.................54 Q28: Have you ever posted a fanwork to Archive of Our Own/AO3?..............55 Q29: Have you ever heard of Fanhackers?..................................................... 56 Q30: How often have you visited/used Fanhackers?...................................... 57 Q31: Have you ever heard of Open Doors?.................................................... 59 Q32: How often have you read about Open Doors imports or activities?........60 Q33: Have you ever used an archive at AO3 that Open Doors imported?......62 Q34: Have you ever heard of OTW's Legal Advocacy/work done by their legal team?............................................................................................................... 63 Q35: How often have you read about Legal Advocacy work by OTW?...........64 Q36: Have you ever asked OTW Legal a question via the OTW website?

FAQs

What was the purpose of the OTW 16th anniversary user survey?

The survey identified locations used by fans for fandom activities and established a baseline of fans’ familiarity with the OTW and its projects.

When was the survey open, and what were the key participation numbers?

Launched on September 5, 2023 and closed on September 21, it was accessed 90,607 times, with 79,222 consent-form responses and 78,258 saying Yes.

How did the report measure completion and retention?

Of 90,607 opening-page visits, 77,358 surveys were started and 67,361 completed, resulting in an 87% retention rate.

Aug 26, 2026

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