Impact Report Methodology
The results set out in this report are based on the Impact Survey 2026 - an online survey dedicated to understanding the impact of Lightcast on the communities and people served by its customers, in the most rigorous way possible.
The survey was first run in 2023, when it was designed and disseminated by the independent research organization FDR. Back in 2023, some 1,397 were collected and analyzed. The findings from that survey were published in this report. The 2026 version of the survey was built from the 2023 version of the survey. Most of the questions were kept the same to ensure any potential comparability between the two editions. Further questions, especially around AI, were added to reflect current priorities.
The survey was launched in March 2026 and stayed open for six weeks throughout March and April. A total of 973 answers were collected.
The Sample
The sample frame consisted of 12,359 work-based email addresses culled from Lightcast records. To qualify to take the survey, a client had to be familiar with at least one Lightcast product and/or use Lightcast information/data in their current position.
The table below shows a comparison of the characteristics of the sample frame (client list) compared with the actual sample (respondents). The number of respondents from any single organization ranged from 1 to 9.
| Characteristics of sample frame v actual sample | Sample frame | Actual sample |
|---|---|---|
| Organizations | 1,721 | 685 |
| Email address per organization: | ||
| 1 | 1,410 | N/A |
| 2-9 | 2,033 | N/A |
| Business unit: | ||
| Education | 5,812 | 433 |
| Public Sector (Government & non profit) | 2,232 | 392 |
| Enterprise | 2,806 | 109 |
| Region: | ||
| US | 10,700 | 692 |
| UK & Ireland | 553 | 99 |
| Canada | 950 | 68 |
Fielding
The online survey was fielded as follows: An initial invitation plus two reminders were sent via email on a rolling basis, the first one dated March 7, 2026, and the last one April 10, 2026. Responses received by April 16, 2026, were included in the sample. The invite message included a description of the purpose of the research, assurance of anonymity, and a link to the online survey; it was personalized and sent from the Lightcast account manager affiliated with that account.
The table below shows final sample dispositions. The response rate is 8%—calculated as Complete/ Delivered (973 / 12,342).
| Final Sample Dispositions | (N) |
|---|---|
| Sent | 12,359 |
| Delivered | 12,342 |
| Undelivered | 54 |
| Complete | 973 |
| Disqualified | 70 |
Items in the survey were randomized and answer categories rotated in an effort to minimize non-sampling sources of error. On average it took about 10 minutes to complete. Survey Monkey was used to program the questionnaire and collect the data.
Acknowledgements
The survey instrument was crafted by the FDR Group with input from Lightcast staff in 2023, and updated with new input from Lightcast staff in 2026. Lightcast would like to thank the 973 clients who so generously took the time to complete the online survey.