Membership Characteristics of the American Society of Primatologists Through 2002

Approximately once a decade, the Treasurer of the American Society of Primatologists (ASP) publishes a report on the current membership characteristics of the society. Each year, when members join the ASP they answer a series of questions designed to evaluate the composition of the society and the interests of its members. In 2002 the society had 691 members (443 full members, 222 student members, and 26 retired members). This represents only a 3.1% increase in overall membership during the past decade, and a decrease of 10.8% from 2001. Over the years, the proportion of student (32.1%) and retired (3.8%) members has grown considerably, while the proportion of full members (64.1%) has decreased correspondingly. Of 691 members, 59 were source-country primatologists who received complimentary (full or student) memberships. Women now comprise 57.7% of the membership, an increase of 5.9% over the last decade. Recent changes in the assessment and collection of annual dues have resulted in three important membership changes. First, 8.5% of current ASP members are source-country primatologists who receive complimentary memberships in the ASP and complimentary subscriptions to the American Journal of Primatology (AJP). Second, mandatory subscription to AJP for full and student members in 2000 resulted in an immediate 8.7% decrease in membership, which appears to be continuing. Third, in 2002 approximately 50% of the members opted to pay their ASP dues with a credit card and/or via the Internet. It is hoped that the current decline in membership numbers represents a temporary trend, and that this loss will be reversed by 2004.