Determinants of repeat participation in university-based online seminars Evidence from 200 Brown Bag Seminar sessions at Kyushu University (2021-2025)

Since April 2021, the Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS) at Kyushu University has hosted a free, weekly online seminar series titled the Brown Bag Seminar (BBS), held every Wednesday during lunchtime. As of September 2025, more than 200 sessions have been organized, attracting 4,947 individuals who pre-registered for participation. Among them, 69% (3,415 individuals) attended at least one session, while 31% (1,532 individuals) did not. After excluding cases with missing demographic data, 1,848 participants were included in the analysis. Of these, 45.5% (840 individuals) attended two or more sessions (“repeat participants”), and 54.5% (1,008 individuals) attended only once (“non-repeat participants”). This study aimed to identify factors associated with non-repeat participation in online academic seminars. Logistic regression analysis revealed that non-repeat participation was significantly associated with younger age groups (teens to 30s) and with participants affiliated with overseas institutions—including foreign universities, educational or research institutes, government and non-government organizations, and international institutions—as well as domestic private and public corporations, associations, foundations (including NGOs and NPOs), and universities other than Kyushu University. To broaden the participant base and encourage repeat engagement among these groups, several strategies are recommended: (1) enhanced outreach via social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube; (2) greater inclusion of guest speakers from outside Kyushu University; and (3) more interactive seminar formats, including multi-speaker discussions and audience participation segments. These approaches are expected to strengthen engagement, increase perceived value, and promote sustained participation in the BBS series.