In November, we invited you—our readers—to share your thoughts about UrbanToronto by participating in our survey, conducted by Solutions Research Group. We wanted to know what features you like, where you want to see improvement, and how we can continue to make UrbanToronto even better.
Now, the results of our survey are in, and we'd like to thank you for your feedback, and give you a chance to look at the findings first hand. We're very happy to report that 96% of you said you were either 'very' or 'somewhat satisfied' with the site, with two-thirds (65%) reporting a very high degree of satisfaction.
The news sections were the best-rated components of the site overall, with 74% of readers rating UrbanToronto's news coverage as either 'excellent' or 'good.' Our Forum and dataBase features were also well-received, with a majority of you—61% and 53% respectively—considering these features to be 'excellent' or 'good.'
The Toronto Skyline, image by Jack Landau
Articles focusing on architecture and new development proved to be the most-liked elements of our news coverage, with 68% of respondents rating these news categories as one of UT's best features. Next most popular were construction photos and videos (66%), while a similar percentage of you (65%) also liked the degree of contextual specificity provided by our closely-focused coverage of Toronto and the GTA.
UrbanToronto's best-liked features, image courtesy of Solutions Research Group
Since many of these categories overlap, multiple responses were allowed, with over half of readers expressing strong interest in our transit-focused stories (58%). Our Forum, which provides further engagement for the reader, elevating one to the status of contributor, was of interest to a full half of you, with 51% of respondents rating the UT discussion Forum as one of our best features.
Of special consequence to us, our contributors' insights on and photos of projects across the vast breadth of the GTHA, really make UrbanToronto's coverage unique and intimate, and we want to thank all of you for your generosity in sharing what you care about with others.
Enough pouring out our heart though, and back to the survey! Significantly, a full third of you (33%) also reported visiting UrbanToronto for work-related reasons, with a high ratio of professionals in planning, architecture, urbanism, development, and real estate numbering among our readers. The majority of respondents (55%) also reported interest in our recently launched sister site, SkyriseCities, which covers architecture, construction, and urban development on a global scale.
While we're very honoured by the positive response we've received from you, we're always looking to improve the site, and welcome your feedback at any time. We value your input, and encourage you to let us know what we could do better, and which features you're most interested in seeing. Over the coming year, we'll continue working to make the site better—and more mobile-friendly!—for our audience. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page, or to contact us here at any time. Thanks again, to our awesome UT community!