[CQ-Contest] Results of Contest Category Shopping/Hopping Survey

[jpescatore at aol.com]

I'll leave the survey up a bit longer (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S88Y66X) but with 305 respondents, the results are:

Yes, it is unethical and I think contest rules should specifically prohibit.- 13.11%

Yes, I consider it unethical but there really is no way to enforce it for most contests - 15.75%

No, I don't think it is unethical but it is in that gray area that gives me the heebie jeebies - 12.79%

No, I don't see any issue with it - 3830 score reports have no official standing and ops can choose their category up until they send the log in to the sponsor - 58.36%

So, essentially 71% don't consider the practice unethical, 29% did.

There was at least one person who abstained from voting, feeling the survey wording was biased - which is odd, since my bias turned out to be in the minority direction - I was in the "unethical but no way to enforce" category.

Many soapbox comments fell into a few common patterns:

"Changing categories is petty, but who cares?"
"3830 isn't official"
"Why not require declaring before the contest starts?"
"The practice is easily solved by/or will lead to/ no more posting to 3830 by serious competitors before log deadline"
"Changing categories is essentially using post-contest info, not allowed."

73 John K3TN