Gay and Lesbian Adults Are More Likely and More Frequent Blog Readers
Social Networks, Blog Popularity Remain High for Gay Americans over Past Three Years
As media trends accelerate towards citizen-journalism and blogger-created news content, a new national survey again validates that gay and lesbian adults online today are among the nation’s most loyal and heaviest blog readers and social network users.
According to a recent national survey conducted online by Harris Interactive®, a majority of gay and lesbian adults are reading blogs. More than half (54%) of gay men and lesbian respondents report reading some type of blog, compared to only 40% of heterosexuals. This represents an incremental increase from March 2008 when 51% of gay and lesbian respondents reported reading some type of blog. A similar question was asked in November 2006 and at that time, only 32% of gay and lesbian adults reported reading blogs.
When it comes to the types of blogs popular with Americans, the survey also found 36% of gay and lesbian adults read news and current issue blogs, compared to 25% of heterosexual adults. A quarter (25%) of gay and lesbian adults also read entertainment and pop culture blogs, compared to 16% of heterosexuals. Considering the global and media attention focused on American politics and the Obama presidency, 22% of gay and lesbian adults also read political blogs, compared to just 14% of heterosexual adults. Confirming their sustained strong connection with travel news and opportunities, 16% of gay and lesbian respondents report reading travel blogs, compared to 8% of heterosexual respondents.
Not surprising, over one third (35%) of all lesbian and gay male adults report they read blogs specifically tailored for gay and lesbian news and interests. More than half (53%) of these readers also say they visit gay and lesbian blogs weekly, and one in five (19%) do so daily. Michael Rogers, veteran gay blogger and media activist reported that these findings mirror his experience: “My own work tells me gay men and lesbians have tremendous need and appetite for authentic gay news and information, and they want it fast. As director of the National Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative, I work with scores of bloggers to enhance skills, improve delivery and content and grow connections with a very receptive lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender audience across the U.S.”
The new nationwide survey of 2,412 U.S. adults, (ages 18 and over), of whom 271 self identified as gay or lesbian (which includes an oversample of lesbian and gay adults), was conducted online between June 14 and 21, 2010, by Harris Interactive, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the LGBT market.
Apart from avidly reading blogs, gay and lesbian adults also are choosing to connect online through social networking sites more often than their heterosexual counterparts. A remarkable three-quarters (73%) of gay and lesbian adults state they are members of Facebook, compared to 65% of heterosexual adults. Also, 32% of gay and lesbian respondents report being members of MySpace, compared to 22% of heterosexual respondents (albeit a shrinking number of both groups from past years). When it comes to the business-oriented social networking site, LinkedIn, 22% of gay and lesbian respondents report being members, while 16% of heterosexual adults state they are members. Finally, nearly 3 out of 10 (or 29%) gay men and lesbians report they are members of Twitter, while the same can be said of just 15% of heterosexual adults.
Significantly, 55% of gay men and lesbians say they visit social network sites at least once a day – but only 41% of heterosexual adults report that same frequency. Three out of ten gay men and women also say they visit sites several times a day, while only 17% of heterosexuals share that habit.
“Over this past decade, through many comparative measures – we see first-hand that online media consumption for gays and lesbians is strong and growing stronger,” said Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications. “A majority of LGBT households are hungrier than ever to stay well informed and to expand their social, professional and personal connections online. In today’s uncertain economy, and with companies and organizations competing for share of attention, it is clear that blogs and social networking sites have not only come of age for gay America – but in many ways have become the virtual, new gay community centers and marketplace.”
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TABLE 1 BLOG READERSHIP “What types of blogs do you read?” Base: All adults |
|||||||||
|
Nov. 2006 |
March 2008 |
May 2009 |
June 2010 |
||||||
|
Gays and Lesbians |
Hetero-sexuals |
Gays and Lesbians |
Hetero-sexuals |
Gays and Lesbians |
Hetero-sexuals |
Gays and Lesbians |
Hetero-sexuals |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
| Read Blogs (NET) |
32 |
26 |
51 |
36 |
55 |
38 |
54 |
40 |
|
|
News/current issues blogs |
12/9* |
9/7 |
28 |
19 |
34 |
22 |
36 |
25 |
|
|
Personal blogs |
17 |
12 |
31 |
15 |
32 |
17 |
28 |
19 |
|
|
Political blogs |
12 |
8 |
23 |
14 |
28 |
14 |
22 |
14 |
|
|
Sports blogs |
2 |
5 |
6 |
13 |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
|
Entertainment/pop culture blogs |
8/4* |
6/3 |
26 |
11 |
25 |
15 |
25 |
16 |
|
|
Music blogs |
5 |
4 |
14 |
6 |
11 |
7 |
16 |
6 |
|
|
Travel blogs |
n/a |
n/a |
11 |
6 |
14 |
8 |
16 |
8 |
|
|
Gay and Lesbian blogs |
19 |
– |
30 |
– |
30 |
– |
35 |
– |
|
| I do not read any blogs |
68 |
74 |
49 |
64 |
45 |
62 |
46 |
60 |
|
| N/A indicates not asked; “-” indicates no response
* Please note, in 2006, news and current issues were asked separately as were entertainment and pop culture |
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TABLE 2 FREQUENCY OF VISITING BLOGS “On average, how often do you visit the bogs you read?” Base: Read (specific) Blogs |
||||||||
|
May 2009 |
June 2010 |
|||||||
|
At Least Once a Week (NET) |
At Least Once a Month (NET) |
Less than Once a Month |
At Least Once a Week (NET) |
Daily |
At Least Once a Month (NET) |
Less than Once a Month |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
| Personal blogs | ||||||||
|
Gays and Lesbians |
53 |
33 |
13 |
42 |
20 |
52 |
6 |
|
|
Heterosexuals |
52 |
34 |
14 |
61 |
24 |
28 |
11 |
|
| News/Current Issues blogs | ||||||||
|
Gays and Lesbians |
72 |
17 |
11 |
71 |
24 |
28 |
2 |
|
|
Heterosexuals |
59 |
31 |
9 |
58 |
25 |
30 |
12 |
|
| Political blogs | ||||||||
|
Gays and Lesbians |
67 |
29 |
4 |
58 |
28 |
39 |
3 |
|
|
Heterosexuals |
57 |
32 |
11 |
63 |
20 |
28 |
9 |
|
| Entertainment/pop culture blogs | ||||||||
|
Gays and Lesbians |
55 |
34 |
11 |
46 |
29 |
51 |
2 |
|
|
Heterosexuals |
57 |
30 |
14 |
51 |
16 |
36 |
13 |
|
| Gay and Lesbian blogs | ||||||||
|
Gays and Lesbians |
58 |
29 |
12 |
53 |
19 |
34 |
12 |
|
| Note: Data for Music blogs, Travel bogs are not included as sample size of those who read these blogs is too small | ||||||||
|
TABLE 3 MEMBER OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES “Are you a member of the following social networking sites?” Percent saying “Yes” Base: All adults |
|||||||||||
|
May 2009 |
June 2010 |
||||||||||
|
Total |
Gays and Lesbians Total |
Gays |
Lesbians |
Heterosexuals |
Total |
Gays and Lesbians Total |
Gays |
Lesbians |
Heterosexuals |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
47 |
55 |
50 |
65 |
46 |
65 |
73 |
74 |
70 |
65 |
||
| MySpace |
32 |
43 |
44 |
41 |
30 |
23 |
32 |
33 |
31 |
22 |
|
|
13 |
23 |
23 |
23 |
13 |
16 |
22 |
24 |
18 |
16 |
||
| Plaxo |
6 |
9 |
11 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
3 |
|
|
TABLE 4 MEMBER OF TWITTER Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question – what are you doing. Are you a member of Twitter? Base: All Adults |
|||||||
|
May 2009 |
June 2010 |
||||||
|
Total |
Gays and Lesbians |
Heterosexuals |
Total |
Gays and Lesbians |
Heterosexuals |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
Yes |
13 |
20 |
12 |
16 |
29 |
15 |
|
|
No |
87 |
80 |
88 |
84 |
71 |
85 |
|
|
TABLE 5 FREQUENCY OF VISITING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES “Overall, in a typical month, how often do you visit these social networking sites?” Base: Member of social networking site |
|||||||||||
|
May 2009 |
June 2010 |
||||||||||
|
Total |
Gays and Lesbians Total |
Gays |
Lesbians |
Hetero-sexuals |
Total |
Gays and Lesbians Total |
Gays |
Lesbians |
Hetero-sexuals |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
| At least weekly (Net) |
65 |
65 |
66 |
60 |
66 |
71 |
81 |
81 |
81 |
71 |
|
| At least monthly (Net) |
21 |
21 |
20 |
22 |
21 |
17 |
11 |
11 |
11 |
17 |
|
| Less than once a month |
14 |
15 |
14 |
17 |
14 |
12 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
12 |
|
|
TABLE 5A FREQUENCY OF VISITING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES – DAILY “Overall, in a typical month, how often do you visit these social networking sites?” Base: Member of social networking site |
||||||
|
June 2010 |
||||||
|
Total |
Gays and Lesbians Total |
Gays |
Lesbians |
Hetero-sexuals |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
| Daily (Net) |
42 |
55 |
52 |
63 |
41 |
|
| Several times per day |
18 |
29 |
28 |
31 |
17 |
|
| At least once per day |
24 |
27 |
24 |
32 |
24 |
|
|
TABLE 6 FEELINGS TOWARD ADVERTISING ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES “How do you feel towards advertisements found on social networking sites?” Base: All adults |
|||||
|
May 2009 |
June 2010 |
||||
|
Gays and Lesbians |
Heterosexuals |
Gays and Lesbians |
Heterosexuals |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
| Positive (Net) |
6 |
12 |
9 |
8 |
|
| Neither Positive nor negative |
63 |
57 |
46 |
56 |
|
| Negative (Net) |
31 |
31 |
45 |
37 |
|
Methodology
Harris Interactive conducted the study online within the United States between June 14 and 21, 2010, among 2,412 adults (ages 18 and over), of whom 341 self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender. We over-sampled gay men and lesbians in order to allow for more detailed analysis of these groups.
Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. In addition, the results for the gay and lesbian sample were weighted separately based on profiles of the gay and lesbian population that Harris Interactive has compiled through many different online surveys. Propensity score weighting also was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.