Members of the LGBT community are more likely to have used a VISA card than other Americans, buy products from companies that treat their LGBT employees well, and not surprisingly, advertise in gay media, according to the recently released 2007 Gay Consumer Index and 2007 Lesbian Consumer Index.

Presented as the largest survey of LGBT Americans ever conducted, Community Marketing Inc. sampled 25,000 gay men and lesbians and gathered sweeping data on interests, motivations and demographics, including:

• Which advertising and sponsorships most impact the LGBT community
• LGBT U.S. median income (gay male couples: $130,000; lesbian couples: $96,000)
• Most popular fields of employment (medical is No. 1 for both gay males and lesbians)
• Which credit cards are most used in the LGBT community
• Most trusted news outlets (both national and gay-specific, TV and print)
• High rate of pet ownership compared with heterosexuals/national stats
• Number of LGBT couples with children (20 percent of lesbians and 5 percent of gay men have children younger than 18)

"Our community has risen to the forefront among corporate marketing executives in recent years, but most campaigns have relied on a 'shotgun' approach to reaching various segments. This is mainly because in-depth cross sections of gay and lesbian consumer data have not been available," said Tom Roth, president of Community Marketing, in a statement. "These indices are a comprehensive and truly representative statistical picture of gay and lesbian consumers. They tell us who the U.S. lesbian and gay consumer is, including an unprecedented profile of the demographic and psychographic details of their motivations, issues and preferences."

Specific findings in the report include:

·         80 percent of gay men and 79 percent of lesbians made a purchase with a VISA card in the past month, while 64 percent of gay men and nearly 56 percent of lesbians made a purchase with a MasterCard and 36 percent of gay men and 24 percent of lesbians made a purchase with an American Express card

·         61 percent of gay men and 83 percent of lesbians have a pet (38 percent of gay men and 59 percent of lesbians have dogs; 28 percent of gay men and 51 percent of lesbians have cats)

·         85 percent of gay men and 85 percent of lesbians said that advertising in gay media favorably influences their decision to purchase products or do business with a company

·         89 percent of gay men and 92 percent of lesbians reported that the way a company treats its gay and lesbian employees impacts their decision to do business with that company, with the majority saying this was strongly positive

·         88 percent of gay men and 91 percent of lesbians report that their purchasing decisions are favorably influenced by corporate sponsorship of LGBT events and participation in LGBT charities

·         Among both gay men and lesbians, the top three most widely watched television networks (in order) were NBC, ABC and CBS; for gay men, the next three were FOX, Bravo and LOGO, and for lesbians, the next three were Showtime, FOX and LOGO

(See also: Which Network Gets the Top Score for LGBT Inclusion?)

·         61 percent of gay men own a home and 36 percent rent while 8.4 percent own vacation property and 9.3 percent own other property. Among the lesbian respondents, 69 percent own a home and 29 percent rent with 10.4 percent owning vacation property and 9.8 percent owning other property

According to the survey, for gay men the median household income is $83,000 per year (singles, $62,000; couples living together, $130,000), almost 80 percent above the median U.S. household income of $46,326, according to U.S. census data. Forty percent of gay men reported household incomes in excess of $100,000 per year. For lesbians, the median household income is $80,000 per year (singles, $52,000; couples living together, $96,000), and 36 percent of lesbians reported household incomes in excess of $100,000 per year.

A comparison of housing shows that 61 percent of gay men own a home and 36 percent rent, while 8.4 percent own vacation property and 9.3 percent own other property. Among the lesbian respondents, 69 percent own a home and 29 percent rent, with 10.4 percent owning vacation property and 9.8 percent owning other property.

"Marketers and advertisers haven't had the tools to understand that there is no single LGBT community in terms of consumer statistics. It is a diverse melting pot of people who cannot be reached with one type of campaign or communications channel for any targeted communications efforts from advertising to sponsorships," said CMI senior research director and survey architect Jerry McHugh.

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