I'm a researcher working in the field of sociology and economic history. I support R as a statistical package, since it enhances worldwide communication of replicable research. For one, R does not require a paid license, making it a viable package for many universities across the globe that are unable to afford expensive main stream packages. Thus code written in R can be run by just about anyone. For more wealthy private and public universities, it is more value for beneficiaries', respectively tax payers' money. Also, R is open source software, making it possible to actually evaluate the commands that are being used, as well as to edit them or write your own.