Survey Results
Survey Says! Partners in Torah Scores ‘Stunning’ High Marks on Comprehensive Survey
For ten years, GE, AT&T, GM, JP Morgan and a roll call of Fortune 500 companies trusted Michael Cooper, PhD., president, chairman and CEO for ten years of Opinion Research Corporation to conduct their surveys, and all, according to Dr. Cooper, would clamor to get results like Partners in Torah did from their recent poll of participants.
When Dr. Cooper, currently Dean of Rutgers University Business School, authored and conducted the 2005-2006 survey for Partners in Torah, he found that 94.08% of the participants found satisfaction or extreme satisfaction with the program. Responses were gathered over two months from 490 current participants.
From the get-go, Partners in Torah’s numbers impressed Dr. Cooper. A startling 35% of those 1392 polled, all via the internet, took the time to respond. In contrast, polls from similar organizations garner an average 12-15% response rate. The “excellent” response numbers alone demonstrate participants “high identification with the program, high favorableness and satisfaction,” said Dr. Cooper. It shows that Partners “wanted to communicate. Their spiritual journey is fantastic but they had no one to share their experiences with” until now.
Among the standout findings is of the 96.5% of participants who joined Partners in Torah to become more knowledgeable, 95.7% are achieving this goal. Matching up strangers for something as personal as spiritual growth is tricky, but 95.7% of participants agree their partner is appropriate for them. All told, more than three-quarters point to Partners in Torah as having a significant or very significant impact on their lives as Jews.
The results are gratifying, said Partners in Torah National Director Rabbi Eli Gewirtz, “We can plan and think we are doing the right thing, but the numbers tell us we are accomplishing what set out to do.”
Dr. Cooper’s study debunked a few persistent Partners in Torah myths. While anonymity has long been believed to be a major draw for participants, only 2% of responded found this as one of Partners in Torah’s most appealing aspects. More favored Partners in Torah’s convenience (25.4%), personalized approach (23.9%), flexible scheduling (23.6%) and no-cost participation (21.0%).
Along with formal check-off, yes or no, and multiple choice questions, participants were positively effusive in the spaces left for more detailed answers. They wrote, “It’s a great program!” “Keep doing what you are doing!” “The program is a blessing!”
While the results were impressive, Dr. Cooper was not surprised. They do, in fact, reflect his own experience with the program. Every Sunday morning for the past five years, Dr. Cooper has been learning with his TelePartner with Dr. Tzvi Goldberg. “We each learn an enormous amount,” said Dr. Cooper. “It is just a wonderful relationship.”
