A real evidence base for the hobby
Amateur radio is full of strongly held opinions and very little data. The State of Amateur Radio Survey is designed to change that: a rigorous, repeatable national survey that measures who is licensed, what they actually operate, how clubs are doing, and where the community needs support.
What it will cover
- Licensing: how operators got licensed, what they upgraded to, and what stopped them.
- Operating habits: bands, modes, digital adoption, contesting, POTA/SOTA, satellites and emergency communications.
- Clubs: membership trends, meeting formats, finances, leadership pipelines and what clubs need most.
- Advocacy: spectrum concerns, antenna restrictions, and interactions with regulators and local government.
- Demographics and accessibility, so the community can see clearly who it is and is not reaching.
How the data will be used
Results will be published openly, with anonymized aggregate data available to clubs, researchers and regulators. NARA will use the findings to prioritize its own programs and to make evidence-based arguments in advocacy work.