Curious Readers and Insightful Authors
The Skeptical Inquirer draws strength from our loyal readers, knowledgeable authors, longtime supporters, and our unique mission of providing you the best scientific evidence about all manner of extraordinary claims and assertions that tantalize and confuse the public.
You, our readers, are the reason we persevere against all the obstacles facing critical thinking and the scientific outlook in today’s society. We have a symbiotic relationship with you—certainly an appreciative one on our part—and thought it time to learn more about you and what you think of us. Early this year a number of you (randomly selected) completed a detailed reader survey questionnaire. I enumerate results in this issue (page 30), but a few are worth reemphasizing here. First and foremost you are curious. This is the crucial starting point for all scientific thinking. The next most frequent terms you use to describe yourselves are skeptic, critical thinker, atheist, and free thinker. Most of you are well educated and well read. As for your attitudes about SI, we were pleased you consider us a credible source of information and to be both highly interesting and useful. Many of you have been with us a long time—nearly 40 percent of respondents have subscribed ten years or more, a welcome mark of strong reader loyalty. Nevertheless, I am pleased that 28 percent of you are new in the last one or two years, and we hope you also will be with us a long time. Most readers did not get the survey, but you may still share your thoughts with us. My email is kendrickfrazier@comcast.net.