Findings from the A LIST APART Survey, 2009

Once again, 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 beauteous 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	1.8%
19-29	49.6%
30-44	42.3%
45-64	6.1%
65 and over	0.2%

Percentages are based on 26,088 responses to this question (98.8% of all respondents).

There appears to be a small shift upward in age: last year’s results had 51.5% in the 19-29 bracket and 40.3% in the 30-44 bracket.

Fig. ii Gender

Male	82.6%
Female	17.4%

Percentages are based on 25,954 responses to this question (98.3% of all respondents).

As in years past, respondents are overwhelmingly male. This result is almost exactly the same as the result from our 2007 survey and slightly lower than 2008 results, though not to any significant degree.

Fig. iii Ethnicity

White / Caucasian	85.6%
Asian / Pacific Rim	5.7%
Hispanic / Latino	3.9%
Black / African	1.3%
Indigenous / Native	0.3%
Other	3.2%

Percentages are based on 26,079 responses to this question (98.7% of all respondents).

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

Fig. iv Job title

Developer	30.1%
Other	24.4%
Web Designer	12.5%
Designer	8.9%
Interface Designer, UI Designer	3.5%
Project Manager	3.4%
Webmaster, Web Master	3.3%
Creative Director	3.3%
Art Director	1.9%
Web Producer	1.7%
Web Director	1.6%
Information Architect	1.4%
Writer, Editor	1.1%
Usability Expert/Consultant/Lead	1.1%
Marketer	1.0%
Educator	0.5%
Accessibility Expert/Consultant/Lead	0.2%

Percentages are based on 26,115 responses to this question (98.9% of all respondents).

Developers lead the pack, followed by “Other.” The high percentage of “Other” suggests that we need additional titles for the next edition of the survey.

Fig. v Geographic region

North and Central America	58.3%
Europe	31.7%
Oceania	3.8%
Asia	3.4%
South America	1.9%
Africa	0.8%
Antarctica	0.0%

Percentages are based on 26,364 responses to this question (99.8% of all respondents).

The results this year are basically the same as 2008, with only minor changes in the numbers.

Fig. vi Top 20 responding countries

United States of America	51.1%
United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland	10.6%
Canada	6.2%
Germany, Federal Republic of	2.9%
Australia, Commonwealth of	2.8%
Netherlands, Kingdom of the	2.5%
France, French Republic	1.3%
Italy, Italian Republic	1.3%
Sweden, Kingdom of	1.2%
Belgium, Kingdom of	1.2%
India, Republic of	1.1%
Spain, Kingdom of	0.9%
New Zealand	0.9%
Finland, Republic of	0.8%
Romania	0.8%
Norway, Kingdom of	0.8%
Brazil, Federative Republic of	0.7%
Denmark, Kingdom of	0.6%
Poland, Republic of	0.6%
Switzerland, Swiss Confederation	0.5%

There were responses from 157 countries in total. The top 20 countries listed here represent 89.5% of all responses.

Education and commitment

Fig. vii Education

Grade/primary school	0.9%
High/secondary school	8.1%
Some college or university	20.6%
College diploma, associate’s, bachelor’s, or other degree	56%
Master’s degree	13.5%
Doctorate	0.9%

Percentages are based on 26,322 responses to this question (99.7% of all respondents).

The educational distribution among respondents is much the same as 2008.

Fig. viii Relevance of education

Not at all	18.2%
A little	29.7%
Some	36%
A lot	16.1%

Percentages are based on 26,304 responses to this question (99.6% of all respondents).

As in 2008, those of you who say your education has at least some relevance represent just over 50%.

Fig. ix Excited by field

No	2.5%
Yes - once in a while	25.6%
Yes - frequently	41.9%
Yes - very frequently	29.5%
Don't know	0.5%

Percentages are based on 26,165 responses to this question (99.1% of all respondents).

As compared to 2008, we seem to be less excited about the field. In 2008, 78.2% of respondents were frequently or very frequently excited by the field; in 2009, 71.4% felt the same.

Fig. x Have a personal site/blog

Yes	72.8%
No	27.2%

Percentages are based on 26,185 responses to this question (99.1% of all respondents).

Again, over 70% of respondents have blogs.

Fig. xi Time personal site/blog online

Less than a year	9.8%
1 year	7.8%
2 years	12.6%
3 years	11.6%
4 years	9.8%
5 years	11.1%
6 years	6.9%
7 years	5.5%
8 years	5.5%
9 years	3.1%
10 years (or more)	16.2%

Percentages are based on 19,217 respondents who indicated they have a blog (72.8% of those who responded to the question).

It’s a workaday world

Fig. xii Type of organization

Partner in a large company or organization	1.9%
Partner in a small business	8.2%
Employee of a company, university, library, museum, nonprofit, or other organization	54.5%
Independent contractor/freelancer or owner of small business	28.6%
Student, hobbyist, volunteer, or other uncompensated role	6.7%

Percentages are based on 26,334 responses to this question (99.7% of all respondents).

As in 2008, over half of the respondents do their web work as an employee, and just over a quarter do it as a freelancer. The number of independents and small business owners does appear to be edging upward.

Fig. xiii Organization size

Self-employed / freelance	24.0%
2-5 employees	12.7%
6-10 employees	8.6%
11-25 employees	11.2%
26-50 employees	9.1%
51-300 employees	14.1%
301-750 employees	5.3%
751-3000 employees	5.9%
More than 3000 employees	8.9%

Percentages are based on 24,550 responses to this question (93% of all respondents).

As with the previous result, the number of self-employed respondents is higher than was the case in 2008.

Fig. xiv Hours worked per week

Less than 20 hours	7.1%
20-29 hours	6.7%
30-39 hours	18.7%
40-49 hours	47.1%
50-59 hours	13.1%
60 hours or more	7.3%

Percentages are based on 26,284 responses to this question (99.5% of all respondents).

The 2009 results are quite similar to the 2008 results, with about the same percentage of respondents working less than 20 hours (7.1% compared to 6.8%) and more than 40 hours (67.5% compared to 67.1%).

Fig. xv Years in the field

Less than a year	3.9%
1 year	4.6%
2 years	10.4%
3 years	11.6%
4 years	9.1%
5 years	10.9%
6 years	6.4%
7 years	4.8%
8 years	5.2%
9 years	4.9%
10 years (or more)	24.9%
Not applicable	3.3%

Percentages are based on 26,306 responses to this question (99.6% of all respondents).

These results are broadly similar to the 2008 results, with three notable exceptions: The number of respondents with less than a year of experience fell from 5.1% to 3.9%, and those with 10 or more years of experience rose from 19.6% to 24.9%. There was also a spike at 8 years of experience in 2008 which did not appear in the 2009 results.

Fig. xvi Degree of web work

All or nearly all of my work is web-related	55.6%
Most of my work is web-related	26.1%
About half my work is web-related	10.0%
Around a quarter of my work is web-related	4.1%
Web-related work is a small part of what I do	3.6%
I don’t do any web-related work	0.5%

Percentages are based on 26,241 responses to this question (99.4% of all respondents).

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

Fig. xvii Years at current job

Less than a year	20.3%
1 year	14.2%
2 years	22.7%
3 years	14.7%
4 years	7.5%
5 years	6.1%
6 years	2.9%
7 years	2.0%
8 years	1.9%
9 years	1.7%
10 years (or more)	5.4%
Not applicable	0.6%

Percentages are based on 17,025 responses to this question (64.5% of all respondents).

This question was only for partners and/or employees. The responses seem broadly similar to last year’s, though there are significantly fewer respondents with less than two years at their current job (34.5% compared to 43.7%).

Fig. xviii Number of years freelancing

Less than a year	12.0%
1 year	10.7%
2 years	14.7%
3 years	11.4%
4 years	8.1%
5 years	8.8%
6 years	4.6%
7 years	3.4%
8 years	3.1%
9 years	2.1%
10 years (or more)	11.4%
Not applicable	9.7%

Percentages are based on 9,309 responses to this question (35.2% of all respondents).

This was only asked of freelancers. The responses are broadly similar to last year’s, although unlike 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	15.8%
Get a promotion at my current job	14.4%
Start my own business	13.5%
Stay where I am	12.7%
Learn a new skill	11.2%
Start pitching a better class of client	8.9%
Change my area of specialization (for instance, from design to development)	4.7%
Find a partner whose skills complement mine	3.3%
Begin (or expand) my professional writing or speaking	3.1%
Attend a conference/take classes/other educational activity	2.5%
Get my first job in the field	2.5%
Leave the profession	1.8%
Other	5.6%

Percentages are based on 26,094 responses to this question (98.8% of all respondents).

Unlike last year, more respondents want to leave their current organization for a new position than to be promoted within their current organization.

Fig. xx Paid vacation

Less than 6 days	2.9%
6-10 days	12.8%
11-15 days	25.9%
16-20 days	19.8%
21-25 days	19.6%
More than 25 days	11.7%
Not applicable	7.2%

Percentages are based on 16,898 responses to this question (64.0% of all respondents).

There appears to be no significant change from last year’s results.

Fig. xxi Paid holidays

0 days	6.0%
1-3 days	4.4%
4-8 days	49.7%
9-11 days	24.0%
11-13 days	7.4%
13-15 days	3.5%
More than 15 days	4.9%

Percentages are based on 16,839 responses to this question (63.8% of all respondents).

As with the previous question, there appears to be no significant change from last year’s results.

Money, honey

Fig. xxii Salary

Less than $10,000	12.4%
$10,000-$19,999	8.6%
$20,000-$39,999	18.7%
$40,000-$59,999	24.9%
$60,000-$79,999	17.0%
$80,000-$99,999	9.1%
$100,000-$119,999	4.6%
$120,000-$149,999	2.6%
More than $150,000	2.0%

Percentages are based on 25,788 responses to this question (97.6% of all respondents).

The 2009 respondents reported a salary distribution nearly identical to that reported by 2008 respondents.

Fig. xxiii Amount of last raise

My salary decreased	5.1%
1-5%	31.0%
6-10%	15.2%
11-15%	6.4%
16-20%	4.0%
21-25%	2.5%
26-30%	1.2%
31-35%	0.8%
36-40%	0.4%
41-45%	0.2%
46-50%	0.5%
51-75%	0.6%
76-100%	0.3%
More than 100%	0.3%
Not applicable	31.5%

Percentages are based on 16,882 responses to this question (63.9% of all respondents).

Although the distribution of responses in 2009 is largely similar to that of 2008, there was a notable jump in those who reported a decrease in salary (5.1% compared to 1.5%) and those for whom the question was not applicable (31.5% compared to 25.7%). There was a corresponding across-the-board reduction in all other categories.

Fig. xxiv Time since last raise

0-3 months ago	13.9%
3-6 months ago	10.6%
6-9 months ago	7.8%
9-12 months ago	8.9%
1 year ago	15.5%
2 years ago	12.6%
3 years ago	2.0%
4 years ago	0.5%
5 or more years ago	0.4%
Not applicable	27.8%

Percentages are based on 16,830 responses to this question (63.7% of all respondents).

Just 56.7% of respondents had a raise in the year before the survey, as compared to 71.3% in 2008. The percentage of respondents who reported their last raise was two years ago quadrupled from the 2008 survey (12.6% compared to 3.1%).

Perceived biases

NOTE: We used the percentage of respondents who said either “definitely yes” or “cautiously yes” to compare perceptions of bias.

Fig. xxv Perceived age bias

Definitely not	38.1%
Probably not	33.2%
Maybe	15.1%
Cautiously yes	8.9%
Definitely yes	4.7%

Percentages are based on 25,987 responses to this question (98.4% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 13.6% say definitely or cautiously yes—essentially the same as last year.

Fig. xxvi Perceived gender bias

Definitely not	66.5%
Probably not	23.2%
Maybe	5.7%
Cautiously yes	2.9%
Definitely yes	1.4%

Percentages are based on 25,913 responses to this question (98.1% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 4.3% say definitely or cautiously yes—essentially the same as last year.

Fig. xxvii Perceived ethnic bias

Definitely not	73.3%
Probably not	20.4%
Maybe	4.1%
Cautiously yes	1.4%
Definitely yes	0.7%

Percentages are based on 25,947 responses to this question (98.2% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 2.1% say definitely or cautiously yes—essentially the same as last year.

Fig. xxviii Perceived geographic bias

Definitely not	26.6%
Probably not	27.2%
Maybe	21.3%
Cautiously yes	13.5%
Definitely yes	11.3%

Percentages are based on 26,067 responses to this question (98.7% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 24.8% say definitely or cautiously yes—essentially the same as last year.

Fig. xxix Perceived disability bias

Definitely not	16.3%
Probably not	7.5%
Maybe	3.4%
Cautiously yes	1.2%
Definitely yes	0.8%
Not applicable	70.8%

Percentages are based on 25,991 responses to this question (98.5% of all respondents).

Of respondents, 2.0% say definitely or cautiously yes—essentially the same as last year.