Screen Reader User Survey #8 Results

Introduction In August - September 2019, WebAIM surveyed preferences of screen reader users. We received 1224 valid responses. This was a follow-up to 7 previous surveys that were conducted between January 2009 and October 2017. A few disclaimers and notices: Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.

Total responses (n) for each question may not equal 1224 due to respondents not answering that particular question.

The sample was not controlled and may not represent all screen reader users.

We hope to conduct additional surveys of this nature again in the future. If you have recommendations or questions you would like us to ask, please contact us.

Demographics Region Respondent Region Region # of Respondents % of Respondents North America 695 58.0% Europe/UK 324 27.0% Asia 69 5.8% Australia and Oceania 34 2.8% Africa/Middle East 35 2.9% South America 36 3.0% Central America and Caribbean 5 0.4% This survey had more respondents outside North America than previous surveys, thus providing better representation of the global screen reader user audience. Age Please indicate your age. Response # of Respondents % of Respondents 0-20 116 9.5% 21-40 557 45.5% 41-60 364 29.7% 61+ 188 15.3% Disability Do you use a screen reader due to a disability? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Yes 1064 87.6% No 150 12.4% In general, responses are very similar between respondents with and without disabilities. Any notable differences are detailed below to help us determine differences in practices or perceptions between the disability and the developer communities. Disability Types Which of the following disabilities do you have? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Blindness 930 76.0% Low Vision/Visually-Impaired 226 18.5% Cognitive 42 3.3% Deafness/Hard-of-Hearing 74 6.0% Motor 24 2.0% Other 45 3.7% 193 respondents (15.8%) reported multiple disabilities. 58 respondents (4.7%) reported being both deaf and blind. Screen Reader Proficiency Please rate your screen reader proficiency Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Advanced 755 62.2% Intermediate 393 32.4% Beginner 65 5.4% Those who use screen readers due to a disability reported themselves as more proficient with screen readers—68.2% of those with disabilities considered their proficiency to be "Advanced" compared to only 21.5% of those without disabilities. Internet Proficiency Please rate your proficiency using the Internet Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Advanced 919 76% Intermediate 276 22.8% Beginner 15 1.2% Reported proficiency on this survey was higher than all previous surveys, perhaps suggesting that screen reader users are becoming more accustomed to using the internet. Those without disabilities rate themselves as more proficient than those with disabilities. Screen Reader Usage Which of the following most accurately describes your screen reader usage? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents I exclusively rely on screen reader audio 850 71.3% I primarily rely on screen reader audio, but also use visual content 140 11.7% I primarily rely on visual content, but also use screen reader audio 115 9.6% I exclusively rely on visual content 40 3.4% I primarily rely on Braille output 47 3.9% Note We neglected to ask about usage of Braille in combination with visual or audio outputs. Many respondents indicating using a combination of Braille and visual and/or audio output. Nearly 25% of respondents rely at least partially on the visual components when using a screen reader. 79.5% of those with disabilities rely exclusively on audio, compared to only 7.4% of those without disabilities (primarily testers). This is not entirely unexpected, but does indicate significant differences in usage between those with disabilities and those without disabilities. Only 0.6% of those with disabilities rely exclusively on the visual output—many of these reported having cognitive or learning disabilities.

Screen Reader Devices On which of the following devices do you use a screen reader? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Desktop computer 826 67.5% Laptop 1027 83.9% Mobile device/Tablet 1056 86.3%

Level of Employment Please indicate your current level of employment. Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Employed full time 566 46.8% Not employed 210 17.4% Employed part time 157 13.0% Student or too young for employment 150 12.4% Retired 126 10.4%

88.5% of survey respondents that do not have a disability are employed full time, compared to 40.6% of respondents that do have a disability. This is significantly higher than the 29.5% employment rate for individuals with significant vision loss reported by the NFB in 2016. This may be due to differences in our samples.

Primary Screen Reader Which of the following is your primary desktop/laptop screen reader? Screen Reader # of Respondents % of Respondents NVDA 493 40.6% JAWS 487 40.1% VoiceOver 157 12.9% ZoomText/Fusion 24 2.0% System Access or SA To Go 12 1.0% Narrator 12 1.0% ChromeVox 7 0.6% Other 22 1.8% The following chart shows historical trends for primary screen reader usage. For the first time since 2009, JAWS is not the most common primary screen reader reported, with NVDA now having slightly higher usage. There are three primary players—JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver. Usage of all other screen readers has steadily declined—taken together they only account for 6.4%. For survey simplicity, infrequently used screen readers were not offered as response options. Respondents with disabilities are more likely to use JAWS and NVDA and less likely to use VoiceOver as their primary screen reader than respondents without disabilities. 9.8% of respondents with disabilities use VoiceOver, compared to 34.9% of respondents without disabilities. Respondents employed full or part time were more likely to us JAWS than other respondents. NVDA users reported higher levels of screen reader proficiency than users of other screen readers.

Screen Readers Commonly Used Which of the following desktop/laptop screen readers do you commonly use? Screen Reader % of Respondents NVDA 72.4% JAWS 61.7% VoiceOver 47.1% Narrator 30.3% ZoomText/Fusion 5.5% ChromeVox 4.7% SA or SA To Go 3.5% Window-Eyes 1.2% Other 6.0% Usage of NVDA, VoiceOver, and Narrator continue to increase, with JAWS usage down slightly. NVDA is now the most commonly used screen reader among survey respondents. Notably, Narrator—freely available in Windows for several years—is the primary screen reader of only 1% of respondents, but commonly used by 30.3% of respondents (up from 21.4% in 2017). 72.5% of respondents use more than one desktop/laptop screen reader. This was up from 53% in July 2015 and 68% in 2017. 41% use three or more, and 16% use four or more different screen readers. VoiceOver users most commonly use additional screen readers, which is notable since the other screen readers run almost exclusively on Windows.

Browsers When using your primary screen reader, which browser do you use most often? Browser # of Respondents % of Respondents Chrome 537 44.4% Firefox 331 27.4% Internet Explorer 11 132 10.9% Safari 118 9.8% Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8 26 2.1% Microsoft Edge 23 1.9% Internet Explorer 9 or 10 18 1.5% Other 25 2.1% Chrome usage among respondents nearly tripled in the last 22 months, making it the most popular browser. Firefox usage decreased sharply. Internet Explorer usage continued to decline, but it is still used by 14.5% of respondents, making it more commonly used than Safari (9.8%). Many respondents reported still using very old versions of Internet Explorer - there were more users of IE6, 7, or 8 than of Microsoft Edge.

Screen Reader / Browser Combinations Most common screen reader and browser combinations Screen Reader & Browser # of Respondents % of Respondents JAWS with Chrome 259 21.4% NVDA with Firefox 237 19.6% NVDA with Chrome 218 18.0% JAWS with Internet Explorer 139 11.5% VoiceOver with Safari 110 9.1% JAWS with Firefox 71 5.9% VoiceOver with Chrome 36 3.0% NVDA with Internet Explorer 14 1.2% Other combinations 126 10.4% There are many combinations in use, with JAWS with Chrome the most common, followed closely by NVDA with Firefox and NVDA with Chrome.

Operating System Operating System Operating System # of Respondents % of Respondents Windows 882 72.1% iOS 165 13.5% Apple 116 9.5% Android 47 3.8% Linux 13 1.1% Other 1 .1% Operating system data above was detected from the system used to complete the survey. Respondents without disabilities were almost 6 times more likely to use Apple than respondents with disabilities, whereas users with disabilities were more likely to respond using iOS devices.

JavaScript JavaScript Enabled Response % of Respondents Yes 99.3% No .7% JavaScript support was detected with the survey form submission. Nearly all respondents had JavaScript enabled.

How Obtained How did you obtain your primary desktop/laptop screen reader? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents I downloaded it free of charge from the Internet 447 37.0% I bought it myself 274 22.7% It was provided to me by my employer 157 13.0% It came with my computer or operating system 146 12.1% It was received through a government program 134 11.1% I'm using a pirated version of a commercial screen reader 17 1.4% It was provided to me by my school 13 1.1% I'm using a trial version of a commercial screen reader 3 0.2% Other 18 1.5%

Reason for Use What is the main reason for using your primary screen reader? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Existing Comfort/Expertise 466 38.9% Features 340 28.4% Availability 177 14.8% Cost 145 12.1% Support 70 5.8% The reasons cited have remained largely consistent since our 2012 survey.

Mobile Screen Readers Mobile Platforms Which of the following is your primary mobile/tablet platform? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch 811 69.0% Android 323 27.5% Other 42 3.5% Respondents with disabilities used iOS devices at a higher rate than those without disabilities. Usage of iOS devices was significantly higher in North America (78%) and Australia (79.4%) than in South America (30.6%), Asia (37.9%), and Europe/UK (62.1%). iOS devices continue to dominate the mobile screen reader market, though iOS usage dropped slightly for the first time in 9 years. Android usage increased slightly and at a faster pace than previous years. Usage of other platforms (Chrome OS, Windows Phone, Nokia, etc.) combined represent only 3.5% of usage. iOS device usage was notably higher among respondents with disabilities than among respondents without disabilities and the overall population. Those with more advanced screen reader and internet proficiency were much more likely to use iOS over Android. Mobile Screen Readers Used Which of the following mobile screen readers do you commonly use? (Choose all that apply) Mobile Screen Reader % of Respondents VoiceOver 71.2% TalkBack for Android 33.0% Voice Assistant 8.2% VoiceView 6.5% Mobile Accessibility for Android 3.8% MobileSpeak 1.6% Nuance Talks 1.1% Other 5.5% Primary Mobile Browser Which of the following is your primary mobile web browser? Mobile Screen Reader # of Respondents % of Respondents Safari 726 62.7% Chrome 292 25.2% Firefox 62 5.4% Android Browser 20 1.7% IE or Edge Mobile 18 1.6% Samsung Browser 10 .9% Opera 2 .2% Other 27 2.3% Safari on iOS is by far the most common mobile browser though usage of Chrome has notably increased. Mobile vs. Desktop/Laptop Usage Do you use a screen reader most often on a desktop/laptop computer or a mobile/tablet device? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Desktop/Laptop 500 41.3% I use mobile/tablet and desktop/laptop screen readers about the same 596 49.2% Mobile/Tablet device 115 9.5% Users are more likely to predominantly use desktop/laptop screen readers than they are mobile/tablet screen readers. Desktop/laptop usage increased since the last survey. Respondents with disabilities are more likely to use a mobile screen reader than respondents without disabilities. Mobile App vs Web Site Usage When performing common online tasks such as banking or shopping are you most likely to use a mobile app or the web site? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Mobile App 597 50.8% Web site 578 49.2% Respondents indicated that they are slightly more likely to use a mobile app than a web site for common online tasks. The preference for mobile app usage increased to 50.8% in 2019, up from 46% in 2017.

Web Accessibility Progress Which of the following best describes your feelings regarding the accessibility of web content over the previous year? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Web content has become more accessible 481 40.0% Web content accessibility has not changed 500 41.6% Web content has become less accessible 221 18.4% Respondents have a slightly less positive perception of the state of web accessibility now than they did in 2017. Respondents without disabilities tend to be more positive about recent progress (47.2% thought it has become more accessible) than those with disabilities (39% thought it has become more accessible).

Reasons for Inaccessibility Which of the following do you think is the primary reason that many developers do not create accessible web sites? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Lack of awareness of web accessibility 461 38.0% Lack of web accessibility skills or knowledge 414 34.1% Fear that accessibility will hinder the look, feel, or functionality 224 18.5% Lack of budget or resources to make it accessible 115 9.5% Respondents this year were more likely to indicate lack of web accessibility skills or knowledge (34.1% compared to 26.6% in 2015) as the primary reason for inaccessibility than on previous surveys.

Customization How customized are your screen reader settings? (changed verbosity, installed scripts, etc.) Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Very customized 349 28.7% Somewhat customized 503 41.3% Slightly customized 271 22.3% Not customized 94 7.7% The majority of respondents customize their screen reader settings. NVDA users customize more than JAWS users, who customize more than VoiceOver users.

Text-only or Screen Reader Versions If a text-only or screen reader version of a web site is available, how often do you use it? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Whenever one is available 263 22.1% Often 160 13.5% Sometimes 226 19.0% Seldom 284 23.9% Never 255 21.5% 45.4% of respondents reported they seldom or never access text-only or screen reader versions, compared to 29.3% of respondents reporting this in 2014. The fact that so many users do not use such versions suggests that this approach to accessibility is not optimal.

Landmarks/Regions How often do you navigate by landmarks/regions in your screen reader? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Whenever they're available 158 13.2% Often 160 13.4% Sometimes 367 30.7% Seldom 276 23.1% Never 233 19.5% The frequent use of landmarks and regions has continually decreased from 43.8% in 2014, to 38.6% in 2015, to 30.5% in 2017, to 26.6% on this survey. It's difficult to know the reasons for this. It could be due to infrequent or improper usage of landmarks/regions in pages. Or perhaps because other mechanisms are continually better.

Finding Information When trying to find information on a lengthy web page, which of the following are you most likely to do first? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Navigate through the headings on the page 830 68.8% Use the "Find" feature 189 15.7% Navigate through the links of the page 68 5.6% Navigate through the landmarks/regions of the page 35 2.9% Read through the page 85 7.0% Navigating headings remains the predominant method for finding page information. While 26.6% of respondents indicate that they always or often use landmarks when they are present, only 2.9% use this method for finding information on a lengthy web page. Those with advanced screen reader proficiency are much more likely to use headings (75%) than those with beginner proficiency (45%), who are more likely to read through the page or use the "Find" feature.

Heading Levels When navigating a web page by headings, how useful are the heading levels (e.g., "Heading 1", "Heading 2", etc.) to you? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Very Useful 625 52.2% Somewhat Useful 406 33.9% Not Very Useful 104 8.7% Not At All Useful 28 2.3% I Don't Know 34 2.8% The usefulness of proper heading structures is very high, with 86.1% of respondents finding heading levels very or somewhat useful.

WCAG Conformance What percentage of web sites do you think meet international accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.1 A/AA conformance)? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Less than 5% 166 13.9% 5% - 10% 152 12.7% 10% - 20% 198 16.5% 20% - 50% 172 14.4% More than 50% 89 7.4% I Don't Know 420 35.1% While 35.1% of respondents didn't know or offer an answer, those that did answer provided very mixed responses. Most believe the majority of pages do not meet WCAG guidelines. We know from the WebAIM Million analysis that the conformance rate for home pages is no higher than 2%.

Screen Reader Detection How comfortable would you be with allowing web sites (and thus web site owners) to detect whether you are using a screen reader? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Very Comfortable 471 39.2% Somewhat Comfortable 280 23.3% Not Very Comfortable 172 14.3% Not At All Comfortable 217 18.1% I Don't Know 61 5.1% Respondents are predominantly comfortable with allowing screen reader detection by web sites. However, this favorability has decreased over time - 78.4% of respondents to this question in 2014 were very or somewhat comfortable with allowing screen reader detection, compared to 62.5% in 2019. Respondents with disabilities were significantly more likely to be favorable of detection than respondents without disabilities. This relevant article may be of interest - Why Screen Reader Detection on the Web is a Bad Thing. How comfortable would you be with allowing web sites (and thus web site owners) to detect whether you are using a screen reader if doing so resulted in a more accessible experience? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Very Comfortable 631 53.2% Somewhat Comfortable 234 19.7% Not Very Comfortable 129 10.9% Not At All Comfortable 149 12.6% I Don't Know 42 3.5% Comfort with screen reader detection increases notably when respondents believe this detection would improve their experience. Historically, there has generally been resistance to web technologies that would detect assistive technologies - primarily due to privacy concerns and fear of discrimination. These responses clearly indicate that the majority of users are comfortable with revealing their usage of assistive technologies, especially if it results in a more accessible experience.

Multiple Languages Do you understand and have your screen reader set to read more than one language? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Yes 493 40.6% No 721 59.4% There were notable differences in language settings across geographical regions - 77.1% of respondents from Africa or the Middle East, 75% from Asia, 66.7% from South America, and 65.3% from Europe have their screen readers set to read more than one language, compared to 22.4% of respondents from North America.

PDF Issues How likely is it that PDF documents will pose significant accessibility issues to you? Response # of Respondents % of Respondents Very Likely 441 36.8% Somewhat Likely 459 38.3% Somewhat Unlikely 147 12.3% Very Unlikely 112 9.4% I Don't Know 38 3.2% The vast majority (75.1%) of respondents indicate that PDF document are very or somewhat likely to pose significant accessibility issues.