What Your Members Are Telling You: Key Takeaways from the Most Recent Ruralite and Currents Reader Survey 

Every year, I look forward to the reader survey results the way some people look forward to a good letter in the mail. There’s something in them that feels like a direct line, not to numbers on a page, but to the people sitting at kitchen tables, thumbing through their copy of Ruralite or Currents, deciding what’s worth their time. 

The results, conducted in 2025 by MRI-Simmons with 502 completed surveys of Ruralite and Currents readers, gave us a lot to think about. If you’re a utility or broadband provider using one of our magazines to connect with your community, I hope what I’m about to share feels like both affirmation and a clear path forward. 

1. Your Readers Pay Attention 

Sixty percent of readers picked up all of the last four issues, and 70% are regular readers. When they sit down with the magazine, they’re not skimming. They’re spending an average of 31 minutes per issue. That’s not passive consumption. That’s engagement most digital channels would envy. 

What does that mean for your 2026 content planning? It means the investment you make in quality storytelling has a receptive, attentive audience on the other end. 

2. Local is Everything 

Of all the findings in this year’s survey, the one that stopped me in my tracks was this: Stories close to home featuring local faces and places earned the highest enjoyment rating of any content category, with 44% of readers saying they enjoy them most, and 37% saying they want more. When we asked readers what topics they’d like to see regularly, community news came in at 51%, right behind home improvement at 56%. 

Your members don’t just want information. They want to see themselves, their neighbors and their communities reflected back to them. The people fixing up old farmhouses, the volunteers organizing food drives, the kids winning state championships, those are the stories that make readers feel the magazine belongs to them. 

For utilities, this is an opportunity. You’re rooted in your community in a way that national brands never can be. Lean into that. Plan stories in 2026 that celebrate what makes your service territory distinct. 

3. Magazines Spark Action  

Here’s what I find genuinely remarkable: 1 in 5 readers said they made their home more energy efficient after reading. Fourteen percent visited an advertiser’s website, and 7% attended a utility or community event. These aren’t just readers. They’re readers who take action. 

For utilities focused on efficiency programs, community events or any initiative that depends on member participation, that’s a meaningful return. The magazine isn’t just building goodwill. It’s generating real-world behavior changes. 

4. Print isn’t Going Anywhere 

Despite the fact that most surveyed readers have internet access, 86% still prefer the printed magazine, and 31% saved or shared articles with friends and family. The magazine lives in the home. It circulates. It gets left on coffee tables and passed to a spouse.

Closing Thoughts 

The 2025 survey confirms something we’ve believed for a long time: A well-crafted magazine, grounded in local stories and community relevance, is one of the most effective communication tools a utility has. It reaches loyal readers. It earns their trust. And it moves them to action in ways that are measurable. 

As you think about editorial planning, ask what stories are we uniquely positioned to tell? Whose voices in our community haven’t been heard yet? 

The answers to those questions are the content your readers are waiting for.

Curious about how Ruralite or Currents can help your utility connect with your community? Explore our magazine solutions at Pioneer Utility Resources, and let’s find the right fit for you.