13th Annual LGBTQ Community Survey [REPORT]

Over 32,000 respondents from the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) communities in 130 countries participated in CMI’s 13th annual survey. 200+ LGBTQ media, events and organizations worldwide partnered with CMI in this year’s study, helping to present diverse, representative data from across the community. This survey was fielded in English, Spanish, French and Hungarian languages.

 At the same time, Community Marketing & Insights is proud to offer our website, organized to help you find this and other research reports on a variety of LGBTQ topics and issues for free download, as well info about our conferences and corporate training.

•     Relationship Status: The survey last explored this question in 2017, and over the past two years we see little change in the percentages for relationship status. Overall, legally married increased just 2% over the period, and we are starting to see some same-sex divorces. Clearly, same-sex marriages have slowed since the rush to wed after the 2015 Supreme Court decision, and is now is a more stable growth cycle. As in past research, lesbian and bisexual women are far more likely to be in a relationship than gay and bisexual men. This has important consumer purchasing implications, as the decision-making process for purchases, and even types of products purchased, may be very different between single people and those in relationships.
•     Defining Relationships in the Non-Binary: Not all relationships are defined as binary (same-sex or opposite-sex couple). Many LGBTQ community members are in a relationship where at least one partner identifies as other than male or female. Marketers and employers should be careful to use language that is inclusive and respectful.
•     Financial Status Self Evaluation:  As an ongoing question in the annual LGBTQ community survey, 57% of participants indicated a positive current economic situation, 30% neutral and 13% negative. This 2019 positive result is 3% higher than in 2018 and 6% higher than in 2017. However, a positive economic outlook is not consistent across demographics within the LGBTQ community.
•     Terminology within the LGBTQ Community: In our annual poll about community terminology, we find that LGBTQ and LGBT are tied as the preferred term to describe our community. However, the more important change over time is the comparative lack of a negative response to nearly all the terms. In earlier years, some reacted more negatively to the letter Q and the term Queer. Also, the addition of the “+” symbol is gaining acceptance over time, especially among younger community members.
•     Impact of Advertising in the LGBTQ Media: Advertising in the LGBTQ media is more impactful to LGBTQ consumers than advertising in the general population media.
•     Trust in the LGBTQ Media: When reading LGBTQ news stories, the LGBTQ community trusts the LGBTQ media more than the reporting in the general media.
•     Car ownership: Car ownership in the LGBTQ community tends to be slightly lower than the general population, most likely because a higher percentage of LGBTQs live in dense urban environments. However, overall the vast majority of LGBTQ community members own or lease cars.

* The survey’s Gender-Expansive category includes participants who identify as transgender, trans men, trans women, genderqueer, gender fluid, non-binary (gender), and/or intersex.

to download report CLICK HERE.

Readers may also want to download:

    CMI’s LGBTQ Consumer Products Survey 2019 report: Relationship status and purchases, purchase influencers, and product purchases from packaged foods to toiletries, to electronics and automobiles. Click here to download the report.

CMI’s 23rd Annual LGBTQ Tourism & Hospitality Survey. Use this link to obtain a complimentary copy. CMI’s 23rd Annual LGBTQ Tourism & Hospitality Survey (December 2018)