The statistics presented above point toward a powerful group of consumers. They are well educated, between prime spending age 25-44, with economic clout. Fewer have children than their straight counterparts so they spend more discretionary income on entertainment and other consumer products.
Right now researchers are struggling to determine how to best gather data on the GLBT group. Obviously, each method of gathering data on our group is fraught with pitfalls. While gathering data on the Internet seems like a good idea it is biased in that one must have access to the Internet to participate. Right now, white men and upper income households have the best access to the Internet so this survey is biased that way (it is obvious above).
The survey mentioned above is one of the first large scale surveys to be conducted on the GLBT consumer group. I'm sure we can expect more. Researchers are afraid to come right out and ask us our sexual orientation during a phone survey or in person because they feel we will refuse to answer and be driven off. But, until data is gathered on the GLBT market we will be hard-pressed to have companies respond to our needs as a group. Ah yes, the chicken and the egg all over again.
Well, I felt I had to report that the GLBT market status has been upgraded to an "official market". While I suppose it is good news it is also bad news. I really don't need any more telemarketers calling me at dinnertime, do you? But it is progress, one step at a time.
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| | ABOUT SD
SD Sampson is a professor in a small women's college in Boston. Her writing represents her forty-something years on this planet. She tries to see the humor in life to keep her sanity. She writes to avoid grading papers. Contact: sdsampson@technodyke.com |
