You will all be pleased to know that the 2016 Global Survey of Jehovah’s Witnesses was launched this weekend, and already has 124 responses.

To add your voice to the new survey, simply click on the “have your say” graphic at the top of the right-hand column (or click here).

Last year’s survey attracted a record 6,083 respondents, including 1,022 active Jehovah’s Witnesses, 145 serving elders (including 25 coordinators), 772 inactive ones, 1,706 faders, 1,461 disfellowshipped/disassociated ones, and 949 non-baptized voters (including 597 with JW relatives).

The data yielded from such impressive numbers was tremendous, and I will do my very best to get the results published earlier this time round – hopefully in the Spring.

A few quick stats for you:

67% of inactive voters said they would leave the organization if shunning were abolished

90% of disfellowshipped/disassociated ones say they are happier since leaving

66% of inactive/faded/former JWs were baptized at 17 or younger

Only 19% of inactive/faded/former JWs became Witnesses through the preaching work

27 elders say they are aware of pedophiles in their congregation

46% of active JW voters would either secretly or openly accept blood

13% of JW voters would allow their child to die for want of a blood transfusion

152 JW voters know of a fellow believer, or child of Witness parents, who has died from refusing blood

46 memorial partakers took our survey

77% of JW voters do not believe elders are appointed by holy spirit

58% of JW voters say they have never assisted anyone to baptism

Geoffrey Jackson is the most likeable GB member among JW voters

Anthony Morris is the least likeable GB member among JW voters

Sam Herd is considered the least controversial GB member among JW voters

Anthony Morris is considered the most controversial GB member by JW voters

50% of JW voters do not donate any money to Watchtower

10% of JW voters are happy for their donations to be spent in legal costs arising from sex abuse cases

22% of JW voters say that even if their religion were proven untrue, they would stick with it

78% of all voters have known or heard of a JW committing suicide

47% of all voters suffer from depression

766 say they suffer from depression but haven’t yet obtained professional help

1,123 voters say they have contemplated or attempted suicide as a result of their JW beliefs, or the prospect of shunning

907 voters say they have self-harmed as a JW

13.5% of voters were home-schooled as JWs

54% of voters say they were bullied at school as a result of their beliefs

55% of voters say they have experienced financial disadvantage as a result of JW teachings on higher education

113 voters say they are victims of child sex abuse within Jehovah’s Witnesses

58% of the 4,265 polled on their current beliefs expressed varying degrees of unbelief

The stigmatization of higher education continues to be the most-disliked Watchtower teaching

Only 136 out of 6,083 voters say they agree with all Watchtower teachings

I am sure, like me, you would consider some of those statistics as headlines in themselves, worthy of considerable press exposure. The fact that 27 out of 145 polled elders are aware of pedophiles within their congregation is nothing short of scandalous, as is the fact that our survey of over 6,000 current and former Witnesses yielded 113 professed victims of child sex abuse.

As shocking as these numbers are, I can only be grateful that we have this information at our disposal, and I am confident that our recently-expanded team at JWsurvey, temporarily under new management, will find time and opportunity to give these figures the exposure they deserve.

Meanwhile, I would like to thank each and every one of you who participated in last year’s survey, and I would urge all of you to do the same in 2016. By combining our voices on the harm being inflicted by Watchtower, we are no longer the silent majority.

Please note: a new feature of the new 2016 survey is the possibility of seeing the results at a glance once you’ve finished. However, I have already started getting feedback from people who are confused because they are seeing questions they weren’t asked. Please bear in mind that not every voter answers every question. For example, someone who is not an elder will not be asked questions for serving elders, and someone who has never been disfellowshipped will not be asked questions for those who are disfellowshipped, and so on. I may withdraw this feature if it ends up causing too much confusion, but for now I trust that many of you prefer to see how the survey is shaping up after you have taken it.