Marketing Poll

Community Marketing Inc. has surveyed over 12,000 gay men and 10,000 lesbians to figure out what we watch, what we read, and how we spend.

Measuring the market is of course aimed at helping companies figure out how to better get get my cash, but some of these results are interesting. Some highlights:

* There are approximately 1.3 million gay and lesbian households in the United States with children under the age of 18.

* Gay male and lesbian consumers are more likely to have used a Visa card than other Americans; to buy products from companies that treat their gay and lesbian employees well; and that advertise in gay media.

* Although gay and lesbian publications were read most often by both gay men and lesbians, major national "mainstream" publications also fared well. The New York Times is the "mainstream" publication cited most often by gay men and People is the "mainstream" publication cited most often by lesbians.

* Among gay men the top three most widely read publications are community-specific titles such as The Advocate, Out, and local LGBT publications, with the New York Times, Men’s Health, and GQ the top three most commonly cited "mainstream" publications; among lesbians the top three most widely read publications are The Advocate, Curve, and local LGBT publications, with People, AARP: The Magazine, and O: The Oprah Magazine the top three most commonly cited "mainstream" publications.

* 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.

* 61% of gay men and 83% of lesbians have a pet (38% of gay men and 59% of lesbians have dogs, 28% of gay men and 51% of lesbians have cats).

* 89% of gay men and 92% 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 (52% and 59% respectively) saying this was strongly positive.

Oh, and the income gender gap is alive and well between gay men and lesbians:

* For gay men, the median household income is $83,000 per year (gay singles, $62,000; gay couples living together, $130,000), a figure that is almost 80% above the median U.S. household income of $46,326, according to US census data.

* 40% of gay men reported household incomes in excess of $100,000 per year. For lesbians, the median household income is $80,000 per year (lesbian singles $52,000; lesbian couples living together $96,000), and 36% of lesbians reported household incomes in excess of $100,000 per year.