The results from the survey published July 19 were culled from a six-page readership survey inserted into printed editions of Stars and Stripes delivered to Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations on single days in December and February. Responses were received until mid-March 2006.

The survey questions — along with the results — were compiled by media research experts from MORI Research, a Minneapolis-based firm whose clients include USA Today, The Washington Post, Knight Ridder and The Seattle Times.

The paper survey was filled out by servicemembers and civilians and sent back to Stripes via the military mail system.

The questionnaire was mainly intended to be a readership survey — a tool newspapers use to gauge how successfully their content appeals to their readers, how often the audience sees the newspaper and how they judge its quality.

Additional questions at the end of the survey touched on morale, living conditions, health and other topics.

By location, 15,000 questionnaires were distributed in Iraq, 7,500 in Kuwait, 3,000 in Afghanistan, 600 in Qatar and 300 in Bahrain, on each occasion. A total of 1,041 usable questionnaires were returned via the military mail system — a return rate of two percent.

From Iraq, 480 questionnaires were returned by military personnel, and an additional 100 responses from non-military personnel. From Afghanistan, 100 questionnaires were returned by military personnel, and 23 from non-military personnel.

The survey is intended to represent a snapshot of Stars and Stripes readership in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations on any given day. The survey does not purport to reflect the views of all troops in those regions.

What they said

See the results of Stars and Stripes’ survey of deployed troops on the topics of:

The mission in the Middle EastLiving conditionsTroop moraleRelated stories: