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2026 Arcati Survey Results Trivia

Feb 25, 2026

Arcati Navigator 2026, Industry Insights, Trivia

Arcati 2026 Trivia

Sonja Soderlund

Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her or LinkedIn.

Welcome to this week’s Planet Mainframe trivia quiz! On the heels of the 2026 Arcati Survey Results release, this round of trivia focuses on changes underway. 

Workforce demographics are shifting, new generations are entering mainframe computing fields (and through new pathways), and enterprises are reevaluating where mission-critical workloads belong in an era of hybrid cloud. At the same time, vendors and customers are navigating skills gaps, modernization priorities, and the economic realities of running large-scale systems.

This quiz draws on recent industry surveys, academic research, and market analyses to explore what the data actually says about the current state of mainframes and the people who work with them. This is your chance to check how up to speed you are on the broader landscape of the mainframe industry. Enjoy!

1. In 2018, 37 percent of BMC survey respondents identified as Gen Z or Millennial. What percentage identified as Gen Z or Millennial in 2025?

 
 
 
 

2. What percentage of Gen Z and Millennial respondents say they view the mainframe as a long-term platform or a platform for new workloads?

 
 
 
 

3. When asked about strategies to address mainframe skills gaps, respondents to Kyndryl’s 2025 Mainframe Modernization Report ranked which strategy at the top?

 
 
 
 

4. According to Kyndryl’s 2025 Mainframe Modernization Report, which of these areas did enterprises rank as the area with the biggest skills gap?

 
 
 
 

5. According to a recent Rocket Software-commissioned survey, what percentage of organizations are refactoring their current COBOL applications to enhance efficiency and maintainability?

 
 
 
 

6. The Mainframe industry doesn’t collect or publish stats on gender or race distribution, but according to SQ Magazine, what percentage of computer programmers (as a broad category) are female?

 
 
 
 

7. According to the Computing Research Association 2025 CERP Pulse Survey, what percentage of academic institutions reported a decrease in bachelor’s computing degree programs?

 
 
 
 

8. According to the 2025 CERP Pulse Survey, which computing subdiscipline saw the most significant increase in enrollment in the 2024-2025 school year?

 
 
 
 

9. According to Allied Market Research, the global mainframe market was valued at USD 2.9 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach what valuation by 2032?

 
 
 
 

10. After the 2025 launch of z17 mainframe, IBM reported a 59% year-over-year increase in mainframe revenue. Arvind Krishna described the period as the strongest two-quarter launch in how long?

 
 
 
 

Sources:

CRA CERP Pulse Survey 2025

BMC Mainframe Survey 2025:
https://www.bmc.com/info/mainframe-survey.html
https://www.bmc.com/blogs/state-of-mainframe/

Kyndryl 2025 State of Mainframe Modernization Survey Report:

SQ Magazine Diversity in Tech Statistics 2026

Allied Market Research: Mainframe Market 

IBM z17 sales 

Rocket Software Survey

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