Email surveys

[Angel]

So I filled out another church survey last night, emailed to me, which is strange as I have removed my contact info, and locked our account? Questions about Alexa app, renaming gospel study to gospel library, how many BOM videos have I watched, comfort with missionaries and doing missionary work, building safety, about where my testimony is - am I more of a social Mormon, or TBM, how independent am I spiritually and financially - mental health questions, youth protection questions, youth program questions, am I reading the Saints books, half an hour to get through it all. Interesting . I gave them a piece of my mind, there were several questions with room for comments...

Has everyone else been getting surveys?

[Red Ryder]

I’ve never received a survey.

Possibly because I’ve stripped out all my personal info from the tools app from the wife’s phone. I don’t have it installed on my phone for conspiracy reasons.

I do find the Research Division of the COB to be fascinating. Like how do you compile all the info that sucks into a presentable report to the Q15?

Survey says: “church is boring”
RD reports to GA’s, “the church message needs refreshed, have you considered you tube?”

Survey says: garments suck
RD Reports: maybe add some ventilation panels and reduce shoulder length by 1 mm.

Survey says: people are leaving
RD reports: secularism on the rise.

Survey says: equality for all gay people
RD report: remove some language from honor code, then clarify nothing changed.

See how it works?

[græy]

I've never received a survey either. That one sounds like it was fun, though. I'd like a crack at it.

[Hagoth]

I was asked to participate in a survey yesterday too. It was about the ticketing procedures for the Christmas concert. I was hoping for something a little more substantial.

[Angel]

On one hand it is good to see them wanting feedback.. I wonder how TBM's view it, if they question why God does not just tell this to RMN directly...

[blazerb]

On one hand it is good to see them wanting feedback.. I wonder how TBM's view it, if they question why God does not just tell this to RMN directly...

I see it as a way to get around the long-held taboo against conferring with the membership about matters of importance. From the time I was young, I was told that, since we have a prophet, there is no need for members to give feedback to the leadership. However, I think in the last few decades, the leadership has realized that they don't know squat about what members really think. However, they can't just open up conference for motions from the floor without contradicting all that history. The survey gets to relatively few people, most of whom can finesse away the teachings explaining why this should not be necessary. The middle management gets a good idea about what is important to the membership. As Red Ryder noted, there is no way of knowing how well the information gets conveyed to the Q15.

[nibbler]

I do find the Research Division of the COB to be fascinating. Like how do you compile all the info that sucks into a presentable report to the Q15?

I'm in love.

Different, even more cynical take. Maybe some straight talk does slip through but the Q15 are hardwired to react a certain way:

Survey says: Church is boring.
RD reports: Church is boring.
Q15 response: Church isn't boring, you're boring, you're the boring!

Survey says: Garments suck.
RD reports: Garments suck.
Q15 response: We'll add a bit to the TR interview about how you have wear garments even when mowing your lawn in the summer.

Survey says: People are leaving.
RD reports: People are leaving.
Q15 response: I'm furious with those taffy pullers. Up the count of talks during general conference about the nasty doubters from 6 talks to 8 talks.

Survey says: Equality for all gay people.
RD report: Equality for all gay people.
Q15 response: LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA.

[nibbler]

I've never gotten a survey. Wish I would. That's one of the biggest problems with church, the plebs don't get a voice. More to the point, the plebs get tamped down when they try to express an opinion that isn't correlated by the culture.

Send the survey out to every member that has supplied an email on their LDS account. If you're worried about compiling results from a large number of respondents just make all the questions of the, "how well does this describe you? not in the slightest, not much, meh, some, very much" variety and then report on the averages.

The theory behind all the changes to the temple ceremony in 1990 is that a survey went out and people voiced their opinions. That said, I wonder how honest I would have been with a survey from the church in my more orthodox believing days. Would I have been honest with the survey... or even myself? Or would I have done what I was programmed to do at the time, try to give the answers I felt people were looking for.

How well does the following statement describe you?
"I find church boring."
[ ] Not in the slightest
[ ] Not much
[ ] Meh
[ ] Some
[ ] Very much

Orthodox me would have said, "Not in the slightest" or maybe, "Not much." because I wouldn't want to admit that there was an aspect of the church that was unappealing to me. Today I'd draw in another box labeled "More than you could possible imagine." and draw in an 'X' so many times that it would cut a hole through the paper.