On 12 May, the Lutheran World Federation had its first virtual conference. 400 people from 52 countries participated in this experiment and discussed ecological justice from different aspects. We are continuing to work on ecological justice and LWF Youth is currently rolling out its 2012 LWF togehter program on eco-justice. But obviously it is also interesting to know whether the new methodology of a virtual conference actually works.

There is overwhelming evidence that the event was very successful. People were actively participating on the day and we received a lot of positive feedback by email and on social media. Right after the conclusion of the event, we also asked participants d to give their opinion on the event. 54 responded within a few days.

Demographics

80% of the respondents are members of a Lutheran church while 20% belong to another church. There is gender balance among the respondents (54% female, 26% male) and also the regions are well represented:

It is important to validate that the respondents to this survey are in a position to evaluate the conference. In fact, most of the respondents spent long hours in front of a computer in order to follow the conference.

Level of satisfaction

This survey shows that the participants were overwhelmingly satisfied with the conference. On a scale from 1 (not satisfied at all) to 5 (very satisfied), the average satisfaction was 4.2. Close to 90% of the respondents chose as their satisfaction level either 4 or 5.
The few low scores were explained with technical difficulties like having Linux as operating system which made it impossible to take part in the webinars.

Satisfaction with details of the conference

Asked what elements of the conference they considered most helpful, the main elements all received high scores.

While the conversations after the keynotes and the bible studies were very active, especially the open conversations require a closer look in the future. However, it is worth noting that nearly half of the respondents seemed to satisfied with all elements (None: 31%; I don’t know: 19%).

The drivers for participating in the conference were largely interest in the theme but also a close connection to the LWF. Several also wanted to test the methodology of a virtual conference.

Potential impact

Most respondents confirm that the virtual conference was an important learning experience for them, one of the main objectives of the conference has, therefore, been met.

Beyond learning, the respondents also believe that the conference helped them to get more engaged in issues around ecological justice.

It would be great if you could contribute your thoughts in the comment section below.

Update 25 May: Edited section on general satisfaction for clarity.