Surveys

The results of the Boy Scouts of America Fall 2013 Voice of the Scout survey have been published in this executive summary and infographic. You can also access the published results of all VoS surveys. How it Works A Voice of the Scout (VoS) survey is conducted every six months. Invitations are emailed to seven different audiences (Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts/Ventures, Cub Scout Parents, Boy Scout /Venture Parents, Youth Facing Volunteers, District/Council Volunteers, Chartered Organizations....

How well are we applying the patrol system? I often ask myself this question and I am constantly looking for ways to improve the experience for our Scouts. I’ve set up a patrol system survey to see how the patrol system is used in other troops, ( there aren’t any ‘right’ answers). The Survey is closed – look for an analysis and report later this week.

Last fall’s Voice of the Scout results have been out for some time now. I have looked at it a few times but quickly grew frustrated with trying to figure out what it was saying or what it all meant. The documents I have read are cast in pretty tortured jargon and I don’t have a lot of patience with trying to interpret something that could be written simply. I’ve always questioned how well this sort of marketing science applies to something like Scouting....

This is third in a series of three posts about the Scout Meeting and Outing Attendance Survey. Part one, and two. Respondents to the survey noted that ‘fun’ was an important element that encouraged Scouts to attend outings and meetings. How do you define ‘fun’? How do we put more ‘fun’ into the program to make it more attractive? FRIENDS ARE FUN Scouts are strongly motivated to hang out with their friends – it’s a primal instinct....

This is second**in a series of three posts about the Scout Meeting and Outing Attendance Survey. Part one is here and part three is here. We know that there are complimentary activities that can conflict with our Scout’s attendance at meetings and outings. here’s what survey respondents reported about what keeps Scouts away and what draws them in – let’s look at meetings first: The results for outings stated similar things but the power to influence was different;...

This is first**in a series of three posts about the Scout Meeting and Outing Attendance Survey. Part two is here and part three is here. Here’s the results from the Outings and Meetings Attendance Survey. 48 different troops responded to the survey, most have between 20-40 Scouts: The vast majority meet weekly: Most see 50-75% at unit meetings Most troops conduct monthly outings or events 25-50% of Scouts attend these outings or events...

When asked what specific online resources they used when looking for information about program ideas. Respondents listed a range of specific websites: Ask Andy Questions and answers in an advice column format backpackinglight.com Great Backpacking information and gear reviews Baloos bugle Cub Scout program newsletter BoyScoutTrail.com General Scouting program ideas Bryan on Scouting. Scouting magazine’s official blog Byron’s Dutch oven page Inquiry.net Rick Seymor’s immense library of Scouting literature. insanescouter.org General Scouting program ideas meritbadge....

The survey asked about two distinct types of information -information related to policy and procedure and information dealing with program plans and ideas. Policy and Procedure The majority of respondents cite Scouting.org (the official Boy Scouts of America website) as their go-to source to learn more about policy and procedure. It’s generally my first resource too – but I find it terrifically frustrating to use. The search feature at Scouting.org is practically useless using the Chrome browser, (it never seems to work for me)....

Our most recent survey sought to rack how we are answering questions, finding information and improving our skills as Scout leaders. Some of these resources are online, some are offline but Scouters responding to this survey are much more dependent on online resources – no big surprise there! Who responded? 51 Scout leaders replied to the survey and identified themselves as follows: Many respondents wear more than one hat in Scouting – not surprising, but not the best situation either....

Thanks to the 90 participants who responded to the patrol system survey. I have prepared an analysis of the results that I plan on using during a university of Scouting training event. The patrol system is the essential element of Scouting. It is the central focus of successfully delivering all that the Scouting program promises. Applying the patrol system (or method) has always been a challenge as it is often misunderstood....

From a letter by the 2005 National Chief of the Order of the Arrow; The Boy Scouts of America recently completed a survey of boys who had left the Scouting program. I would appreciate it if you read this letter and share the information with your unit leadership. The major conclusions from the survey are that young men drop out of the program due to the lack of a good unit program and not enough outdoor adventure....