Same-Sex Marriage? More Than 10 Million Americans Want To Say 'I Do'
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gay and Lesbian Americans Tell Researchers They Plan To
Get Married - Estimated 10 Million Want To Say 'I
Do'
- Value of a US-wide gay marriage market likely to top a
billion dollars in first year alone.
NEW YORK, NY, USA (OUTNOW) -- JULY 5, 2011 -- In the wake of New
York becoming the largest and latest US state to legalize gay
marriage, new research reveals how many gay and lesbian Americans
want to get married - and the very large potential revenue windfall
for business, if marriage equality becomes available
nationwide.
Findings released today suggest new gay matrimonial spending would
likely exceed USD$1 billion during just the first year of such a
theoretical nationwide change.
The research, part of LGBT2020 - the world's largest global
research study on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
people - asked US respondents how likely they were to marry, if
this option becomes available to them in the future.
The data was sampled between July 2010 and January 2011, across
several hundred lesbian, gay and LGBT digital media websites,
hosted by Gay Ad Network - America's largest online collected gay
media platform. Sample size was 6,712 responses - obtained from
across all 50 States of the USA, and the District of
Columbia.
Almost seven in ten respondents (68.77%) said they hope to get
married, and a further one in twelve (8.15%) said they had already
undertaken some marriage, or marriage-like, ceremony with a
partner.
15% of US respondents say they would never marry, even if legal
marriages were to become available to them.
The LGBT2020 research is part of a ten year study analyzing LGBT
people's lives worldwide. The study is undertaken by Out Now, a
global gay market research specialist, in partnership with Gay Ad
Network in the US and Canada.
In 2008, Out Now research revealed that the spending impact of
lesbian and gay marriages during the first full year of Civil
Partnerships in the United Kingdom (2006) delivered a GBP£130
million (USD$209 million) boost to the UK economy.
According to Ian Johnson, Out Now's CEO, a similar pattern in the
US market would yield significant economic benefits. "When we ask
people if they want to marry in the future, this is an aspirational
hope," says Johnson. "But by analyzing real-world UK data we have
been able to estimate the likely economic impacts that nationwide
gay marriage would have on the US economy during its first year,
and that figure is just over one billion dollars (USD$1.042
billion)," Johnson says. "That is all-new consumer spending, and it
would run throughout the US economy on wedding items such as rings,
venue hire, catering, and of course the biggest ticket item - gay
honeymoons."
Mark Elderkin, CEO of Gay Ad Network, the largest gay media
network in North America, said: "This data helps broaden the
traditional definition of gay and lesbian consumers, and provides
insights into business opportunities that will be created as a
result of legalizing gay marriage."
Out Now's Senior US Consultant, Mike Wilke, based in New York
City, says that the economic impact of same-sex weddings looks set
to increase. "The recent decision in New York makes this now look
like a growing US trend, and this new economic activity is only
going to increase as more of America adopts marriage equality - and
what's good for the US economy benefits all Americans," says
Wilke.
DATA SOURCE - Must be referenced fully as
"Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study http://www.OutNowConsulting.com "
:
ANNUAL GAY WEDDINGS EXPENDITURES
UK (Actual)
£22 million Rings
£26 million Ceremony venue
£35 million Reception
£47 million Honeymoon
US (Calculated - assuming nationwide legalization of gay marriage
with same relative percent of population marrying in first year and
spending at same levels as UK market, exchange rate- and
population-adjusted. Adjusted at GBP£1.00 = USD$1.60 rate.)
$175 million Rings
$210 million Ceremony venue
$281 million Reception
$376 million Honeymoon
TOTAL: USD$1.04 Billion
NUMBERS WANTING TO MARRY IN USA
69% - "Hope to enter into a Civil Partnership or marriage in the
future"
8% - "Have already entered a Civil Partnership, or marriage"
15% - "Do not intend to ever enter Civil Partnership or
marriage"
8% - "Other, please specify"
14.7 million -- Total US gay and lesbian population (Estimated 6%
of US adults. Source: Yankelovich MONITOR Study, 1993.)
10.1 million -- Want to marry
1.2 million -- Have had some form of marriage, or marriage-like
(commitment or civil union) ceremony
2.2 million -- Intend never to marry
1.2 million -- Other
An estimated 38% of same-sex couples living in states that allow
them to marry are currently married, compared to 12% in states that
do not allow same-sex couples to marry (Source: Williams
Institute/Harris Interactive Same-sex Couple Survey, 2010)
MEDIA CONTACT:
Ian Johnson, CEO, Out Now Global
info@outnowconsulting.com
Telephone
US: +1-310-878 4878
UK: +44-(0)20-8123 5288
Mobile: +33-(0)6-47 880 555
Australia: +61-(0)2-8003 5253
Netherlands: +31-(0)6-2322 7354
FURTHER INFORMATION:
The 'Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study' is a ten year program of
market research and is the world's most comprehensive LGBT research
project.
In 2011 the study is sampling gays, lesbians, bisexuals and
transgender (LGBT) people in ten languages from 25 countries on six
continents on many aspects of their lives. From LGBT travel and
tourism patterns, lifestyle habits, consumer expenditure, incomes,
spending, harassment, discrimination, employment and entertainment
preferences - the LGBT2020 project is a groundbreaking project from
Out Now.
In 2010 almost 40,000 respondents from around the world
participated in the LGBT2020 study. In 2011 this number is expected
to exceed 50,000 respondents.
More information is available at http://www.LGBT2020.com and
http://www.OutNowConsulting.com .
Out Now is a global LGBT marketing agency that has for two decades
been relied upon by the world's leading organisations to better
understand the lives and concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people. Clients include IBM, Toyota, Lufthansa, Qantas,
German National Tourist Office, Barclays Bank, National Australia
Bank, Lloyds TSB Banking Group and Citibank.
Copies of the full reports from the LGBT2020 Study are available
from Out Now.
MORE INFORMATION ON LGBT2020:
The 'Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study' is the world's largest ongoing
research study. In 2010 the study surveyed almost 40,000 LGBT
people living in 18 countries and in 2011 the study is expanding to
reach LGBT people living in 25 countries around the world,
including India for the first time.
Unlike other gay and lesbian market research studies, LGBT2020
research is undertaken in the native language of the survey
respondents - whether that be Japanese, Dutch, Spanish, German or
English. In fact, the LGBT2020 research study samples consumers in
ten different languages.
LGBT2020 is an exclusive project undertaken by the leading
international LGBT marketing agency, Out Now Global.
In the US and Canada, LGBT2020 partners with Gay Ad Network - the
category-leading gay media network, reaching over 6 million unique
users per month across 300 popular LGBT websites, blogs and social
networks. Ranked as the largest U.S. gay media property, Gay Ad
Network provides online, mobile and video advertising services to
global and national brands targeting the gay and lesbian
market.
In the UK Out Now chooses to partner with Millivres Prowler,
Europe's leading LGBT media company - publishers of DIVA, GT and
PinkPaper.com.
In addition to media partners, LGBT2020 networks extensively
through social media, community organizations, LGBT community
groups, employee resource groups and via mainstream media coverage
to reach a more diverse LGBT sample than any other research in the
world.
The LGBT2020 Study enjoys strong support from industry with
sponsors including Lloyds TSB Banking Group, Delta Air Lines,
Turespaña and German National Tourist Office.
Countries sampled in 2011 for the LGBT2020 research report now
include: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile,
Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, South
Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay.
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