For Additional information and cross tab demographics contact:
Jeffrey Garber – (315) 422-6250 – jeff@opuscommgroup.com – OpusComm Group/GLCensus Partners

 

Zogby International/ GL Census Partners Poll

“Attitudes Towards Gay Rights Organizations”

The collaborative efforts of Zogby International and GLCensus Partners (a Syracuse University, OpusComm Group and GSociety Partnership), is the first large-scale ongoing endeavor to focus on the varied political views of the GLBT population.

 

 

Partners in the new Zogby/GLCensus Partners Poll include:

 

Zogby International (www.zogby.com) - A leader for over 16 years in the field of public opinion research and world-renowned for offering superior polling, market research and information services based on accuracy and detailed strategic information.

 

GLCensus Partners (www.glcensus.org):

-         The S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University (www.syracuse.edu) - One of the world’s leading academic and research institutions in the field of communications.

-         OpusComm Group (www.opuscommgroup.com) - Innovative Advertising, Marketing, Communication and Public Relations experts on the Gay/Lesbian market.

-         GSociety, Inc. (www.gsociety.com) - A media/entertainment company whose reach and distribution channels target the millions of gay and lesbian consumers worldwide.

 

 

Methodology

 

The Zogby/GLCensus Partners Poll was conducted online of 1,563 U.S. residents who identify themselves gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. The poll was conducted April 26-29,  2002.

 

l. Executive Summary

 

This Zogby International/ GL Census Poll asked a panel of 1456 respondents identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered (GLBT) questions about their involvement with gay rights organizations, what effectiveness they felt these organizations have, and what issues should be at the forefront of their mission. The key results are as follows:

 

·         More respondents donated money in the last 12 months than joined either state or national gay rights organizations.

 

 

·         Respondents overwhelmingly identified the legal recognition of same sex marriage as the top goal of the gay rights movement.

 

·         Equal opportunity employment rates a significant second in terms of a number one priority.

 

·         Young respondents, those who identified as lesbian and those who are partnered were more likely to select marriage rights as the top priority.

 

·         Equal opportunity employment protections showed above average response rates among those identifying as gay or queer, those who have a graduate school education, African-Americans, Democrats, Green Party members, those who work in sales, and singles.

 

·         An overwhelming majority of respondents considered Rosie O’Donnell’s coming out on-air to be positive in terms of advancing social acceptance of the GLBT community and advancing the parental rights of this community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ll. Narrative Analysis

 

1&2.    Are you personally a member of a national or state gay-rights group?  In the past 12 months, have you donated money to a national or state gay-rights group?

 

 

Member

Donated

National gay rights group

20

24

State gay rights group

4

9

Both

12

17

Neither

61

48

 

Overall, respondents were more likely a member of a national gay rights group than a state gay rights group. Almost a third of respondents (32%) said they were either the member of a national gay rights group or a member in both a national or state gays rights group. 16% said they were either a member of a state gay rights group or a member in both a state and national gay rights group.

 

Two thirds (61%) of respondents were not part of either group.

 

Of those who were members of either a national or state gay rights group, participation generally increased with income, education level and starting with the 35-44 age group. The 45-54 age group was the most active. Respondents living in the East were more likely to be members. Those who identified as gay were more likely to be members than those who identified as lesbian were.

 

Over nine in ten (93%) respondents were registered voters and they were more likely than non-registered voters to be members. Of those who were registered and identified a party affiliation, 69% said they were Democrats, 8.4% Republican and 13% Independent. Of Democrats, 44% said they were members of one or both gay rights groups while only 31% of Republicans said the same.

 

Two fifths (40%) of respondents said they have donated money to a national gay rights group and 25% said they had donated money to a state gay rights group. Less than half (48.2%) said they had not donated any money to either group.

 

Of those who identified as gay, 46% said they had donated to a national gay rights group and 25% said they had donated to a state rights group. Of those who identified as lesbian, 35% said they had donated to a national gay rights group and 22% said they had donated to a state rights group.

 

3.Which of the following best estimates the annual amount you donate to state or national gay rights groups?

 

$0-$25

10

$26-$50

23

$51-$75

10

$76-$100

18

$101-$150

12

$151-$250

9

$251-$500

10

$501-$1,000

3

$1,001-$2,000

2

$2,001 or more

2

 

Of those who donated, more respondents donated $26-50 than any other amount (23%). The next largest group was those who donated $76-100 (18%). Over a quarter of respondents (26%) donated $151 or more annually.

 

Generally, the donation amount increased with as age, education level, income and white-collar occupation. There were some exceptions. For instance, of those making $40-50,000 a year, 55% donated between $51-150 annually compared to 40% of the whole survey base.

 

Those who identified as gay donated in greater amounts than those who identified as lesbian did. 43% percent of lesbians in the survey donated less than $50 annually compared to 26% of those who identified as gay. Conversely, 22% of the latter group donated $250 or more compared to 10% of lesbians in the survey.

 

 

4-6.      What do you think the first, second and third most important goals of the gay rights movement should be?

 

 

First

Second

Third

Legal recognition of same sex marriages for tax, estate and insurance purposes

47

 23

13 

Equal opportunity protection in employment

16

 21

 16

Hate crimes legislation to specifically punish “gay bashing”

9

 14

 14

Increase gay representation in government

7

 6

 9

Increased integration with mainstream America

5

 7

 7

Right to legal adoption

3

 12

 15

Paternity rights to both parents in a same-sex union.Cure HIV/AIDS

2

 7

 10

Religious recognition of same sex marriages

1

 1

 2

Right to serve in the military

--

 3

 5

 

By far, the top goal of the gay rights movement was identified as the legal recognition of same sex marriage. 47% of respondents listed it as their first choice as the top goal and 83% of respondents selected it as one of the top 3 goals.

 

When considering what the top goal should be, younger respondents were more likely to select marriage rights as the top priority. Over half (57%) of those who identified as lesbian selected this as their top goal compared to 42% of those who identified as gay. Those who were partnered were much more interested in making this the top priority (56%) compared to those who were single (30%) or single and dating (38%).

 

Equal opportunity protection in employment showed above average response rates for the following demographics: those who identified as gay or queer, had a graduate school education, African-Americans, Democrats and Green Party members, those who work in sales, were single or single and dating.

 

Increased integration with mainstream America was favored by gay respondents (13% as the top choice) versus 6.6% of lesbian respondents. 22.8 percent of Republicans and 22% of Libertarians picked this as the top choice.

 

Cure HIV/AIDS was split along gender lines with male respondents much more likely to list this as one of the top 3 goals than female respondents (30% of men listed this as one of the top 3 goals compared to 8% of women).

 

 

 

 

8-10.    Which of the following best represents how familiar you are with…

 

 

Very Familiar

Somewhat Familiar

Not Familiar

Human Rights Campaign (HRC)

38

50

11

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)

19

58

22

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD)

22

51

26

 

Of the three gay rights organizations tested, HRC enjoys the highest level of familiarity (88%; combines very and somewhat familiar). The NGLTF ranks second with 77%, and GLAAD ranks third (73%).

 

Respondents unfamiliar with these organizations tended to identify as either homosexuals or bisexuals, have lower household incomes, and skew towards the younger (18-24) and older (65+) age groups. 

 

7, 11-13.          On a scale of one to five, where one is least effective and five is most effective, how effectively do you consider…

 

 

Least Effective (1)

2

3

4

Most Effective

(5)

Major Gay Rights Organizations

2

10

47

30

3

Human Rights Campaign

2

8

31

34

8

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

2

10

30

24

3

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination

2

8

26

25

5

 

Considering the effectiveness of “major gay rights organizations,” without specifying specific organizations, nearly half (47%) of respondents were neutral, giving a score of 3 on the effectiveness scale. A third (33%) said the major gay rights groups were effective and 12% said they were not effective.

 

Among specific organizations, the HRC performed best in terms of effectiveness, according to survey respondents. Over two fifths (42%) said the HRC was effective.

 

GLAAD ranked second in terms of effectiveness, with 30% percent rating the organization as such (26% were neutral and 33% were not sure.)

 

The NGLTF ranked last among the three in terms of effectiveness, despite scoring slightly better than GLAAD in familiarity. Over a quarter (27%) said the NGLTF was effective (30% were neutral and 32% were not sure).

 

14. If the gay rights community could choose a single spokesperson, who do you think that spokesperson should be?

 

Spokesperson

Number of Responses

 Rosie

353

 Ellen Degeneres

77

 Barney Frank

66

 Elizabeth Birch

31

 Mellisa Etheridge

25

 Ian McClellan

16

 Betty Gegeneres

13

 Hillary Clinton

12

Elton John

10

 Bill Clinton

8

 

 

In March, Rosie O’Donnell came out of the closet on ABC Television in an interview with Diane Sawyer. During the show she talked about being a gay parent. The following questions are about Rosie’s appearance.

 

15.       Considering Rosie O’Donnell’s highly publicized "coming out” on television, do you feel her appearance was very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative or very negative in terms of advancing the social acceptance of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community?

16.       Again considering Rosie O’Donnell’s highly publicized "coming out," do you feel her appearance was very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative or very negative in terms of advancing parental rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community?

 

Impact of Rosie O’Donnell’s Coming out in…

Advancing GLBT social acceptance

Advancing GLBT paternal rights

Very Positive

56

62

Somewhat Positive

30

28

Somewhat Negative

3

2

Very Negative

--

--

 

Nearly nine in ten (87%) respondents said Rosie’s appearance was at least somewhat positive in advancing the social acceptance of the GLBT community (56% said it was very positive; 30% said somewhat positive). Just 3% said the appearance negatively impacted the social acceptance of the GLBT community, while 6% said it made no difference.

 

Nine in ten (90%) respondents said Rosie’s appearance was at least somewhat positive in advancing parental rights of the GLBT community (62% said it was very positive; 28% said at least somewhat positive). Just 2% percent said the appearance negatively impacted the cause of greater parental rights of the GLBT community, while 4% said it made no difference.

 

In general, those who rated Rosie’s appearance as very positive in higher percentages than the average were those who identified as lesbian (63% on advancing acceptance of the GLBT community and 69% on advancing parental rights) compared to those who identified as gay (54% and 59%, respectively). Other demographics viewing Rosie’s appearance as more positive than the average were Hispanics and African-Americans for the first question and Hispanics and Asian-Americans for the second question, respondents who were in a partnership or have children under the age of 17, Catholics, and respondents living in the Central Great Lakes region.

 

17.       If the media were to use a single expression to identify the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community, which would you prefer they use?

           

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT)

28

Gay and lesbian

25

Gay

20

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT)

11

Lesbian and gay

3

Queer

5

Homosexual

4

 

If the media were to choose a single expression to describe the GLBT community, over a quarter (28%) of respondents would prefer “GLBT,” followed by “gay and lesbian” (25%) and “gay” (20%).