Research:Knowledge Gaps Index/Measurement/Readers Contributors Mapping

This page contains the list of information extraction methods to map readers and contributors to categories relevant to knowledge gaps. Methods are marked as [question] if the metric is survey-based, or [automated] if we measure it based on traffic data observations.

Methods : Surveys

To quantify the distribution of readers and contributors across different genders, we would need, when possible and needed, to collect voluntarily disclosed information directly from individuals who read and contribute to Wikipedia and sister projects.

Surveys are the most effective tool to acquire this type of information. Surveys have been effectively used in the past to understand the gender gap in readership or to understand the reason why the World reads Wikipedia.

In order to understand the distribution of readers and editors across different gap-relevant categories, we need to map each gap to a corresponding survey question which captures the gap's underlying categories. The idea is that, when many individuals respond to the question, we should have enough data to describe the distribution of reader across the categories relevant to the corresponding gap. For example, if we want to know the distribution of readers across different gender groups, we will ask readers the question "What is your gender?" and provide a set of exhaustive options that survey participants can choose. To identify survey questions that are specific to each gap, we proceed as follows:

Literature review

We thoroughly review previous survey works from Research and other teams at the Wikimedia Foundation, looking for reader and editor surveys which have been successfully tested on more than one language. We identify four major sources of high-quality survey questions we can work with:

• Questions from the most recent Readership Research and survey led by the Research team at WMF. These are demographics questions translated in 14 languages.
• Questions from the "Why the World reads Wikipedia" research project. These are questions capturing the reasons why readers come to Wikimedia sites, ran through QuickSurveys on 13 Wikipedia language editions.
• Questions from the Affiliate Membership data surveys, generated by the Global Data and Insights Team for selected members of all recognized Wikimedia Affiliates, through the use of a sampling toolkit. These questions are available in 10 languages.
• Questions from the Community Insights survey. This survey is available in 19 languages, and is conducted annually by the Global Data and Insights Team to help the Wikimedia Foundation learn about the Wikimedia communities and how to support them.

Mapping Questions to Gaps

We then associate each of the gaps in the Readers and Contributor branches of the Knowledge Gap Taxonomy to one or more existing questions, adapting their text when needed. For example, for the "Motivation" gap, we adapt one of the questions from the "Why We Read Wikipedia" Survey, as follows:

Generally, I read Wikipedia because ...
Please select all answers that apply 
¤ I have a work or school-related assignment
¤ I need to make a personal decision based on this topic (e.g., buy a book, choose a travel destination) 
¤ I want to know more about a current event (e.g., a soccer game, a recent earthquake, somebody’s death) 
¤ the topic was referenced in a piece of media (e.g., TV, radio, article, film, book)
¤ the topic came up in a conversation
¤ I am bored or randomly exploring Wikipedia for fun 
¤ this topic is important to me and I want to learn more about it (e.g., to learn about a culture)
¤ Other ..."

Gaps Mappings

Representation Gaps

Gender

[question] What is your gender?

• Woman
• Man
• Prefer not to say
• Other... <open-text>

Age

[question] What is your age?

• 18-24
• 25-34
• 35-44
• 45-54
• 55-64
• 65-74
• 75-84
• 85+
• I prefer not to say

Geography

Countries

[automated] UN subregions, continents, and global north/south based on IP mapping

Urban/Rural

[question] Would you describe the place you live as...

• A farm or home in the country
• A country village
• A small city or town
• The metropolitan area of a big city (suburbs or outskirts)
• A big city
• None of the above
• I prefer not to say

Language

First Language

[question] What is your native language, or what language are you most fluent in? <list of Wikipedia languages in their native script>

Second Language

[question] What other languages are you fluent in? Select all that apply?

• I do not have a second native language
• Other... <list of Wikipedia languages in their native script>

Socio-economic Status

Education

[question] How many years (full-time equivalent) have you been in formal education? Include all primary and secondary schooling, university and other post-secondary education, and full-time vocational training, but do not include repeated years. If you are currently in education, count the number of years you have completed so far.

• I have no formal schooling
• 1-6 years
• 7 years
• 8 years
• 9 years
• 10 years
• 11 years
• 12 years
• 13 years
• 14 years
• 15 years
• 16 years
• 17 years
• 18 years
• >18 years
• Prefer not to say

Employment

[question] Last week, did you do any work for pay or to generate income? This could include a paid job, running a business, farming or fishing to sell to others, or helping with the paid job or business of someone else in your household or family.

• Yes
• No
• I’m not sure
• I prefer not to say

Income Security

[question] Which of the following statements are true for your financial security in the past year (Select all that apply)?

• I have a credit card
• I have a savings account
• I have a retirement/pension account
• I have had difficulty paying my bills
• I have had to borrow money from family/friends to cover my bills
• I have been able to lend money to family/friends in need
• I prefer not to say
• None of the above apply to me

Cultural Background

Ethnicity

[question] Do you belong to a minority ethnic group in the country where you currently live?

• Yes
• No
• I prefer not to say

Discrimination

[question] Would you describe yourself as a member of a group that has been discriminated against the country where you currently live?

• Yes
• No
• I prefer not to say

If Yes Is Selected:

• On what grounds is your group discriminated against? (Mark all that apply)
• Colour or race
• Nationality
• Religion
• Language
• Politics
• Ethnic group
• Other (open)
• I prefer not to say

Sexual Orientation

[question] How would you describe your sexual orientation or preference?

• Straight and/or heterosexual
• Gay, lesbian, and/or homosexual
• Bisexual
• Would describe it in another way
• I prefer not to say

Interaction Gaps (Readers)

Motivation

[question] Generally, I read Wikipedia because ... Please select all answers that apply

• I have a work or school-related assignment
• I need to make a personal decision based on this topic (e.g., buy a book, choose a travel destination)
• I want to know more about a current event (e.g., a soccer game, a recent earthquake, s omebody’s death)
• the topic was referenced in a piece of media (e.g., TV, radio, article, film, book)
• the topic came up in a conversation
• I am bored or randomly exploring Wikipedia for fun
• this topic is important to me and I want to learn more about it (e.g., to learn about a culture)
• Other ...

Information Depth

[question] Generally, I read Wikipedia to ...

• look up a specific fact or to get a quick answer [5 options from never to very often]
• get an overview of the topic [5 options from never to very often]
• get an in-depth understanding of the topic [5 options from never to very often]"

Familiarity

[question] Generally, when I read a Wikipedia article:

• I am already familiar with the topic [5 options from never to very often]
• I am not familiar with the topic, and I am learning about it for the first time [5 options from never to very often]

Disabilities

[question] Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have any of the following serious difficulties? Select all that apply:

• I am deaf, or have serious difficulty hearing
• I am blind, or have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses
• I have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• I have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs
• I have difficulty dressing or bathing
• I have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping
• None of the above apply to me

Interaction Gaps (Editors)

Motivation

[question] Which of the following are important motivations for you to contribute to Wikimedia? (Select all that apply)

• I like the idea of volunteering to engage people in share knowledge
• I am interested in contributing directly to open knowledge
• I am interested in filling content gaps in the Wikimedia projects
• My friends, family or colleagues contribute to Wikipedia
• Contributing is part of my school work or employment
• I am active with an organization that partnered with Wikimedia
• I want to engage and share opinions with other Wikimedians
• I want to exchange skills with other Wikimedians
• Other (specify)

Role

Experience

[question] In what year did you begin contributing to the Wikimedia movement or its projects? <dropdown menu with years since 2001>

Role on Wiki

[question] In what ways do you participate in the Wikimedia movement? Please check all that apply.

• I create, contribute, and/or edit content on at least one Wikimedia project (e.g., Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, etc.).
• I contribute to code and/or software development for MediaWiki or other Wikimedia technical projects.
• I serve an on-wiki administrative role (for example, an admin, bureaucrat, or steward).
• I organize Wikimedia projects, events, campaigns, or groups.
• I represent an affiliate.

Disabilities

[question] Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have any of the following serious difficulties? Select all that apply:

• I am deaf, or have serious difficulty hearing
• I am blind, or have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses
• I have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• I have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs
• I have difficulty dressing or bathing
• I have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping
• None of the above apply to me