LGBTQ+ study from WPP reveals attitudes on gender fluidity, queer media, coming out at work and more

Although some brands may feel satisfied with turning their logo into a rainbow during Pride Month, a new survey from WPP shows that there’s more to be done. A lot more. The “Beyond the Rainbow” report from the world's largest agency holding company includes insights on how brands can move beyond surface-level LGBTQIA+ marketing while shedding light on how different demographics view gender fluidity and coming out at work. It also documents attitudes toward queer media. The report, published in the wake of the shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado that left five people dead and 22 injured, notes that more than 1 in 3 people who identify as LGBTQ+ encountered some type of discrimination in 2020 in the U.S. This includes discrimination experienced by 3 in 5 transgender people in the same period. The study, created in partnership with the company’s LGBTQ+ group Unite and its data group Choreograph, surveyed 3,500 queer people in the U.K., U.S. and Canada along with 4,000 non-LGBTQ+ people in those countries. To help distribute the survey to more diverse groups, the firms also partnered with organizations including U.K. Black Pride, Diva magazine, the HRC and myGwork. Below, some key findings from the survey. Companies need to do more throughout the year The report shows that 52% of LGBTQ+ people surveyed say they do like it when brands change their logos for Pride Month. But it also revealed that 3 out of 4 LGBTQ+ people and 50% of non-LGBTQ+ people think that brands need to do more. This includes giving to charities, raising awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and increasing representation. According to the report, 67% of LGBTQ+ people and 67% of non-queer people believe that there should be more advertising featuring queer people. And 59% of queer people surveyed feel the current representation feels "tokenistic." This percentage jumps to 67% for queer people of color, and to 70% for trans and nonbinary respondents. “Signals of inclusion within comms are only as effective as the customer experience those comms are promising,” said David Adamson, deputy head of strategy at The &partnership and founder of WPP Unite, quoted in the study. “If your new brand advert includes trans characters, but a trans customer gets to your website and can’t register for your products and services in a way that reflects their gender identity, then you’ve lost and frustrated them." Ad Age Next: CMO Get your tickets for the Dec. 7 event in New York Register here Gender fluidity is on the rise The majority of queer and non-queer people alike think that gender will become more fluid—74% and 61%, respectively. People aged 18 to 24 are 27% more likely to think this way than those aged 35 and above, according to the survey. Younger generations are also moving away from thinking in binaries, with 57% of the 18-to-34 demographic agreeing that there are more than two genders. “This increased acceptance and understanding of gender among younger people is reflected in their own identities,” with 3.6% of those aged 18 to 24 identifying as something other than cisgender, according to the report. Younger people are also breaking out of the “lesbian” or “gay” binary. Those aged 18 to 34 are 1.5 times more likely than those aged 35 and older to identify as bisexual. They are also 2.8 times more likely to be pansexual; 1.3 times more likely to be asexual; and 2.2 times more like to identify as queer, according to the report. Many people aren’t out at work—and their willingness to be open depends on economic stability Only 40% of LGBTQ+ people are open about their sexuality at work, and just half are out with their gender identity, according to the report. These differences also depend on how the person identifies. Lesbians and gay men are most likely to be open about their gender identities in comparison to people who identify as bisexual, pansexual or asexual. In terms of gender, those who are transgender are more likely to be open about their gender than people who are nonbinary. “LGBTQ+ discrimination is still rife in the workplace,” said Adrien Gaubert, co-founder and chief marketing officer of U.K.-based LGBTQ+ business community MyGWork, as quoted in the report. “Role models, visible acceptance through the use of pronouns in emails/name tags, and rainbow lanyards, alongside LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Groups, will go a long way to attracting and retaining LGBTQ+ professionals.” This willingness to share one’s identity also depends on income level, according to the report’s findings. High-income employees are 37% more likely to be open about their gender and sexuality than low-income employees, which suggests that “queer people with more economic stability are more comfortable with expressing their sexuality and gender identity openly in the workplace,” according to the report. Queer media is not just for queer people—and it needs improvement Straight people want queer content too, according to the report—60%, to be precise. Although queer people's desire for gay media is fairly equal across generations, the same could not be said for straight people. While 85% of non-LGBTQ+ aged 18 to 24 want queer media, that percentage consistently drops with older demographics. For example, only 39% of those aged 65 plus want to see queer media, according to the report. When it comes to representation, just 38% of queer people feel fine with how they are represented in the media. “It’s great to see that LGBTQIA+ representation in the media is on the rise but, all too often, brands default to the gay male market. What about the lesbians, bisexual women, trans and non-binary people, and those who identify as queer or asexual?” said Linda Riley, editor of Diva magazine (stylized as “DIVA magazine”), which caters to LGBTQ+ women and lesbian-adjacent people, quoted in the report. People who identify as trans and nonbinary, as well as lesbians and LGBTQ+ people of color, are the groups who are most likely to want more representation, according to the report. In general, 83% of LGBTQ+ people and 80% of straight people alike think that LGBTQ+ characters should be more diverse. This includes those who create the content—another 79% of LGBTQ+ and 75% of non-queer people think that more content should be made by queer people. “When we look at anything that depicts LGBTQIA+ experiences, you can immediately sense whether it was made by queer people or by people looking in from the outside,” said VMLY&R’s Creativity and Inclusivity Director Jamie June Hill, quoted in the report. “Often it’s not obvious, but simply a sense of dissonance: a word that feels out of place, an outfit that feels all wrong, a stance, a home, a song…the minutia that is easy to overlook."

LGBTQ+ study from WPP reveals attitudes on gender fluidity, queer media, coming out at work and more

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