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We’re Gay, We Like the Gym, and We Smoke. What’s New?

Posted by on Aug 3, 2012 in Learnable | 1 comment

Is it really surprising that gay men love the gym, own smartphones, and enjoy cocktails more than beer?

I don’t think so, but if you needed solid proof, Community Marketing Inc.’s 6th annual LGBT Community Survey has the deets for you.

Among the most noticeable are:

  • 91 percent of gay men and 82 percent of lesbians own smartphones compared with 63 of men nationally and and 60 percent of women.
  • LGBTs spend money on self improvement products and services (gym memberships, personal trainers, spa treatments, vitamins, etc.) at rates higher than the national average in nearly all surveyed areas except bicycling. Maybe it has something to do with our extreme value on our and our partner’s saddle spot?
  • JCPenny is crushing it among gay and lesbian groups. Oh hey Ellen! Starbucks is doing all right and so is Target.
  • Gay men and lesbians have gym memberships (38 percent) at higher rates than the national average (24 percent).
  • Gay men (27 percent) and lesbians (23 percent) smoke cigarettes at higher rates than the national averages for adult men (22 percent) and women (17 percent).
  • Gay men, especially those ages 18-29, are much more likely to drink spirits or cocktails than beer, though beer is twice as popular on average nationally among men. …
  • President Obama has strong support from gay men (77 percent) and lesbians (84 percent), including 79 percent of LGBT people in Ohio and 78 percent in Florida.

While Community Marketing surveyed 45,000 respondents in 148 countries, its report focuses on U.S. data from 11,000 gay men and 2,000 lesbian women.

Smells fishy to me to claim to represent the values and habits of the LGBT community but largely leave out the L, B, and T groups. Just me? The report obviously caters to marketers, and maybe the report says more about the state of marketing in the U.S. than it does about the habits of LGBT people.

While I can gripe all day long, the survey does point out our interesting consumer habits and purchasing powers. What do you think about the survey? Does it represent you?

Get the full report here.

 

(Via Think Progress, photo via LAGLC)