Findings from the A LIST APART Survey, 2010

For the fourth year in a row, A List Apart and you have teamed up to shed light on precisely who creates websites. Where do we live? What kind of work do we do? What are our job titles? How well or how poorly are we paid? How satisfied are we, and where do we see ourselves going?

Once again, we present our findings on the web, with XHTML table data converted to charts care of CSS, Jason Santa Maria, and Eric Meyer. Others who worked on these findings include editor Krista Stevens and publisher Jeffrey Zeldman.

Analyses contained in this report should be considered primarily descriptive; no attempt was made to assess causality among survey variables. In plain English, be careful not to extrapolate the observations that follow into predictive or causal relationships.

Who are you?

Come here often? What’s your sign?

Respondents were asked basic questions about age, gender, job title, and so on.

Fig. i Age

18 and under	1.6%
19-29	47.2%
30-44	44.0%
45-64	7.0%
65 and over	0.2%

Percentages are based on 16,665 responses to this question (98.6% of all respondents).

There appears to be an ongoing shift upward in age among respondents. The results in the 19-29 bracket fell from 51.5% in 2008 to 47.2% in 2010, and the 30-44 bracket rose from 40.3% to 44.0% over that same period.

Fig. ii Gender

Male	82.2%
Female	17.8%

Percentages are based on 16,593 responses to this question (98.2% of all respondents).

As in years past, respondents are overwhelmingly male. This result is almost exactly the same as the results seen in previous years; the differences from last year are less than half a percent.

Fig. iii Ethnicity

White / Caucasian	84.8%
Asian / Pacific Rim	5.9%
Hispanic / Latino	4.6%
Black / African	1.3%
Indigenous / Native	0.4%
Other	3.1%

Percentages are based on 16,676 responses to this question (98.7% of all respondents).

As in past years, respondents are mostly Caucasian. These results have not significantly changed in the three years the survey has been conducted.

Fig. iv Job title

Developer	38.2%
Web Designer	12.9%
Other	12.2%
Designer	8.0%
Interface Designer, UI Designer	4.7%
Webmaster, Web Master	4.1%
Project Manager	4.0%
Creative Director	2.9%
Web Producer	2.1%
Web Director	2.1%
Information Architect	2.0%
Art Director	1.5%
Usability Expert/Consultant/Lead	1.3%
Marketer	1.1%
Content Strategist	1.1%
Writer, Editor	0.8%
Educator	0.6%
Accessibility Expert/Consultant/Lead	0.3%

Percentages are based on 16,776 responses to this question (99.2% of all respondents).

Developers lead the pack, and the result for that title is 8% higher than last year. Interestingly, the rate of response for “Other” dropped by exactly half, from 24.4% to 12.2%.

Fig. v Geographic region

North and Central America	56.4%
Europe	32.2%
Oceania	4.2%
Asia	3.6%
South America	2.5%
Africa	1.2%
Antarctica	0.0%

Percentages are based on 16,882 responses to this question (99.9% of all respondents).

The results this year are basically the same as the past two years (this specific question was first introduced in 2008). There have been only minor changes in the numbers over that time period.

Fig. vi Top 20 responding countries

United States of America	49.1%
United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland	10.9%
Canada	6.3%
Australia, Commonwealth of	3.2%
Netherlands, Kingdom of the	2.8%
Germany, Federal Republic of	2.2%
France, French Republic	1.7%
Italy, Italian Republic	1.5%
Sweden, Kingdom of	1.3%
India, Republic of	1.3%
Spain, Kingdom of	1.2%
Belgium, Kingdom of	1.2%
Brazil, Federative Republic of	1.2%
New Zealand	1.0%
Denmark, Kingdom of	0.9%
South Africa, Republic of	0.8%
Portugal, Portuguese Republic	0.8%
Poland, Republic of	0.7%
Norway, Kingdom of	0.7%
Argentina, Argentine Republic	0.6%

There were responses from 134 countries in total. The top 20 countries listed here represent 89.4% of all responses.

Education and commitment

Fig. vii Education

Grade/primary school	0.8%
High/secondary school	7.5%
Some college or university	20.1%
College diploma, associate’s, bachelor’s, or equivalent degree	56.3%
Master’s degree	14.3%
Doctorate	1.0%

Percentages are based on 16,848 responses to this question (99.7% of all respondents).

The educational distribution among respondents is much the same as in the last two years.

Fig. viii Relevance of education

A lot	15.8%
Some	36.9%
A little	29.6%
Not at all	17.7%

Percentages are based on 16,846 responses to this question (99.7% of all respondents).

As in the last two years, those of you who say your education has at least some relevance represent just over half of all respondents.

Fig. ix Excited by field

Yes - very frequently	29.8%
Yes - frequently	43.6%
Yes - once in a while	23.5%
No	2.8%
Don’t know	0.2%

Percentages are based on 16,765 responses to this question (99.2% of all respondents).

Last year’s drop in excitement about the field appears to have stablilized and may be recovering. In 2008, 78.2% of respondents were frequently or very frequently excited by the field; in 2009, 71.7% felt the same; in 2010, 73.4% responded that way.

Fig. x Have a personal site/blog

Yes	72.9%
No	27.1%

Percentages are based on 16,779 responses to this question (99.3% of all respondents).

Once again, over 70% of respondents have blogs.

Fig. xi Time personal site/blog online

Less than a year	6.1%
1 year	5.7%
2 years	8.9%
3 years	8.1%
4 years	6.4%
5 years	7.9%
6 years	5.3%
7 years	4.2%
8 years	3.9%
9 years	2.0%
10 years (or more)	14.5%

Percentages are based on 12,238 respondents who indicated they have a blog (72.9% of all respondents to the question).

It’s a workaday world

Fig. xii Type of organization

Partner in a large company or organization	1.7%
Partner in a small business	7.7%
Employee of a company, university, library, museum, nonprofit, or other organization	56.9%
Independent contractor/freelancer or owner of my own small business	28.3%
Student, hobbyist, volunteer, or other uncompensated role	5.4%

Percentages are based on 16,858 responses to this question (99.7% of all respondents).

As in 2008 and 2009, over half of the respondents do their web work as an employee, and just over a quarter do it as a freelancer.

Fig. xiii Organization size

Self-employed / freelance	23.0%
2-5 employees	12.9%
6-10 employees	8.3%
11-25 employees	11.5%
26-50 employees	9.0%
51-300 employees	15.1%
301-750 employees	5.3%
751-3000 employees	5.9%
More than 3000 employees	9.0%

Percentages are based on 15,931 responses to this question (94.2% of all respondents).

The number of self-employed respondents is higher than was the case in 2008 but slightly lower than in 2009. Overall, the distribution pattern is quite similar to the previous two years.

Fig. xiv Hours worked per week

Less than 20 hours	6.2%
20-29 hours	5.8%
30-39 hours	18.5%
40-49 hours	49.3%
50-59 hours	13.4%
60 hours or more	6.8%

Percentages are based on 16,830 responses to this question (99.6% of all respondents).

The 2010 results are quite similar to the 2008 and 2009 results, with about the same percentage of respondents working less than 20 hours and more than 40 hours. The latter figure, 67.5%, is exactly the same as 2009 and 0.4% higher than 2008.

Fig. xv Years in the field

Less than a year	4.3%
1 year	4.6%
2 years	8.6%
3 years	10.9%
4 years	9.6%
5 years	10.8%
6 years	6.8%
7 years	5.0%
8 years	4.9%
9 years	3.1%
10 years (or more)	29.4%
Not applicable	2.0%

Percentages are based on 16,827 responses to this question (99.5% of all respondents).

These results are broadly similar to the 2008 and 2009 results, with one notable exception: those with 10 or more years of experience has risen steadily from 19.6% in 2008 to 29.4% in 2010.

Fig. xvi Degree of web work

All or nearly all of my work is web-related	57.4%
Most of my work is web-related	25.7%
About half my work is web-related	9.7%
Around a quarter of my work is web-related	4.1%
Web-related work is a small part of what I do	2.7%
I don’t do any web-related work	0.4%

Percentages are based on 16,800 responses to this question (99.4% of all respondents).

The results for this year are much the same as those for the last two years.

Fig. xvii Years at current job

Less than a year	24.5%
1 year	13.4%
2 years	17.1%
3 years	15.4%
4 years	8.7%
5 years	6.4%
6 years	3.3%
7 years	2.1%
8 years	1.5%
9 years	1.4%
10 years (or more)	6.0%
Not applicable	0.3%

Percentages are based on 11,127 responses to this question (66.1% of all respondents).

This question was only for partners and/or employees. Though the responses are broadly similar to last year’s, there is an interesting pair of changes. Those who have been at their current job less than a year rose while those at it for two years fell by a similar amount.

Fig. xviii Number of years freelancing

Less than a year	12.2%
1 year	10.6%
2 years	14.3%
3 years	11.8%
4 years	8.0%
5 years	8.8%
6 years	5.0%
7 years	3.5%
8 years	3.6%
9 years	1.5%
10 years (or more)	14.5%
Not applicable	6.2%

Percentages are based on 5,674 responses to this question (33.6% of all respondents).

This was only asked of freelancers. The responses are broadly similar to last year’s, and just like last year the two top responses were “2 years” and “less than a year,” with “3 years” and “10 years (or more)” tying for third place.

Fig. xix Next career move

New job in a new organization	16.2%
Get a promotion at my current job	15.9%
Stay where I am	13.3%
Start my own business	12.8%
Learn a new skill	10.6%
Start pitching a better class of client	8.7%
Change my area of specialization (for instance, from design to development)	4.8%
Find a partner whose skills complement mine	3.2%
Begin (or expand) my professional writing or speaking	3.1%
Attend a conference/take classes/other educational activity	2.6%
Get my first job in the field	2.4%
Leave the profession	1.6%
Other	4.8%

Percentages are based on 16,741 responses to this question (99.0% of all respondents).

The results are nearly exactly the same as last year: more respondents are looking to leave their current organizations for a new position than to be promoted within their current organization. The only change in ordering is that “Start my own business” and “Stay where I am” switched places.

Fig. xx Paid vacation

Less than 6 days	3.1%
6-10 days	12.2%
11-15 days	25.6%
16-20 days	20.1%
21-25 days	20.6%
More than 25 days	11.7%
Not applicable	6.7%

Percentages are based on 11,076 responses to this question (65.5% of all respondents).

There appears to be no significant change from the last two years’ results.

Fig. xxi Paid holidays

1-3 days	3.6%
4-8 days	46.7%
9-11 days	24.9%
11-13 days	7.2%
13-15 days	4.0%
More than 15 days	4.4%
Not applicable	9.1%

Percentages are based on 11,089 responses to this question (65.6% of all respondents).

As with the previous question, there appears to be no significant change from last year’s results where the answers overlap (last year there was an option for “0 days” and none for “Not applicable”).

Money, honey

Fig. xxii Salary

Less than $10,000	10.7%
$10,000-$19,999	8.3%
$20,000-$39,999	18.5%
$40,000-$59,999	24.1%
$60,000-$79,999	18.1%
$80,000-$99,999	9.6%
$100,000-$119,999	5.5%
$120,000-$149,999	3.0%
More than $150,000	2.0%

Percentages are based on 16,584 responses to this question (98.1% of all respondents).

The 2010 respondents reported a salary distribution nearly identical to that reported by 2008 and 2009 respondents; the overall curve is slightly flatter as compared to 2009.

Fig. xxiii Amount of last raise

My salary decreased	4.6%
1-5%	34.7%
6-10%	15.7%
11-15%	6.9%
16-20%	5.0%
21-25%	2.7%
26-30%	1.4%
31-35%	0.9%
36-40%	0.6%
41-45%	0.4%
46-50%	0.7%
51-75%	0.6%
76-100%	0.4%
More than 100%	0.3%
Not applicable	25.3%

Percentages are based on 11,082 responses to this question (65.6% of all respondents).

Although the distribution of responses in 2010 is largely similar to that of 2009, there was a slight drop in those who reported a decrease in salary (4.6% compared to 5.1%) and a larger drop of those for whom the question was not applicable (25.3% compared to 31.5%) There was a corresponding across-the-board rise in all other categories.

Fig. xxiv Time since last raise

0-3 months ago	16.2%
3-6 months ago	14.1%
6-9 months ago	10.5%
9-12 months ago	10.0%
1 year ago	10.7%
2 years ago	8.4%
3 years ago	3.1%
4 years ago	0.8%
5 or more years ago	0.7%
Not applicable	25.4%

Percentages are based on 11,047 responses to this question (65.4% of all respondents).

We found that 61.6% of respondents had a raise in the year prior to the survey, as compared to 56.7% in 2009 and 71.3% in 2008. As compared to the 2009 results, fewer respondents have gone two years since their last raise but more have gone three or more years; the number saying “Not applicable” dropped slightly.

Perceived biases

NOTE: We used the percentage of respondents who said either “definitely yes” or “cautiously yes” to compare perceptions of bias. Respondents were asked whether they had encountered various forms of bias that had hampered them or their careers, not whether they had ever witnessed bias in action. For example, the question about age bias read, “Has employer or client prejudice about your age slowed the progress of your career, or made earning a living more difficult than it should be?”

Fig. xxv Perceived age bias

Definitely not	47.0%
Cautiously not	24.0%
Maybe	15.2%
Probably yes	9.4%
Definitely yes	4.4%

Percentages are based on 16,673 responses to this question (98.6% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 13.8% say definitely or probably yes, essentially the same as last year and the year before. One interesting shift as compared to 2009 is that “Definitely not” rose substantially (from 38.1% to 47%) while “Cautiously not” fell by roughly the same amount (from 33.2% to 24%).

Fig. xxvi Perceived gender bias

Definitely not	76.1%
Cautiously not	13.1%
Maybe	6.1%
Probably yes	3.2%
Definitely yes	1.6%

Percentages are based on 16,612 responses to this question (98.3% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 4.8% say definitely or probably yes, essentially the same as last year and the year before (+0.5% over 2009). The total of “Maybe,” “Probably yes,” and “Definitely yes” response rates went from 10% in 2009 to 13.9% in 2010. As with the previous chart, there was a notable shift away from “Cautiously not” and a strong increase in “Definitely not” (from 66.5% to 76.1%).

Fig. xxvii Perceived ethnic bias

Definitely not	82.7%
Cautiously not	10.9%
Maybe	4.1%
Probably yes	1.4%
Definitely yes	0.9%

Percentages are based on 16,633 responses to this question (98.4% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 2.3% say definitely or probably yes, essentially the same as last year. The shift toward “Definitely not” and away from “Cautiously not” is once again observed.

Fig. xxviii Perceived geographic bias

Definitely not	32.3%
Cautiously not	18.8%
Maybe	21.0%
Probably yes	17.1%
Definitely yes	10.9%

Percentages are based on 16,716 responses to this question (98.9% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 28% say definitely or probably yes, which is higher than last year’s result (24.8% in 2009). The shift toward “Definitely not” and away from “Cautiously not” is once again observed.

Fig. xxix Perceived disability bias

Definitely not	11.2%
Probably not	10.8%
Maybe	3.5%
Cautiously yes	1.3%
Definitely yes	0.7%
Not applicable	72.6%

Percentages are based on 16,674 responses to this question (98.6% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 2.0% say definitely or cautiously yes, exactly the same as last year. There were slightly more respondents to whom the question did not apply as compared to last year.