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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jeffrey S. Garber OpusComm Group, Inc. 315 Highland Ave. Syracuse, NY 13203 Gays and Lesbians Exhibit Higher Voter Turnout, New Study Shows Syracuse, New York - October 17, 2001 - Nearly 9 out of ten gay and lesbian people are registered voters, and 79.8 percent report having voted in the 2000 presidential election, a major new study reveals. According to the “2001 Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census,” voter registration and turnout was significantly higher among the gay people than in general population. U.S. Census information shows 66% of the voting-age population registered and a 54% voting rate, according to the November 1996 Current Population Survey. The actual voting age turnout for the 1996 presidential election, as reported by the Clerk of the U.S, Congress, was 49 percent. The survey, a joint project of OpusComm Group Inc., The S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University, and media/entertainment company GSociety Inc., is the most in-depth study to date to explore the consumer patterns of gay and lesbian people. Of 6,351 respondents, 5,869 are from the United States. Only U.S. respondents were questioned about party affiliation, voter registration and participation. “We are seeing among our respondents significantly more registered voters and higher voter turnout in the gay and lesbian population than in the U.S. population as a whole,” explains project leader Jeffrey Garber, president of OpusComm Group, Inc. “It’s often been thought that gays and lesbians are a powerful political constituency. Now we have the numbers to prove it.” Of survey respondents who indicated a party registration, 68.8% were Democrats and 18.1% were independents. Republican voters totaled 11.1% of the respondents. “As advertisers are beginning to court the gay and lesbian market, I think we will find more and more political figures going for the gay vote, too,” says Amy Falkner of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communications. “Judging from the numbers we are seeing, it’s an advantage to the candidate to be gay-friendly these days.” “U.S. Census data shows voter participation increases with income,” explains Cary Gilbert, vice president of GSociety. “The more money you make, the more likely you are to vote. For example, in 1996, 39.5 percent of people making $10,000-$14,000 a year voted while 66.8 percent of people making $50,000-$74,000 year voted. With combined median incomes 50% higher than those of the general public, gay people have become an important political constituency.” “We’re talking about a highly educated, affluent, and well-organized minority group that has been largely ignored and untapped by both advertisers and political candidates in the past, Garber says. “That’s going to change in a hurry, now that the numbers are coming to light and the survey is giving a more accurate profile of the demographics, spending, and voting habits of the gay population.” Generally, the survey found slight increases in voter participation as age and income increased. The Census is the combined
effort of three partners: OpusComm Group Inc., (Founder of the 2001
Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census Partnership) The principals of the
OpusComm Group have been providing exciting and effective marketing, public relations
and advertising to a broad range of clients from Fortune 500 to small
businesses for over sixteen years. Now,
as one of the world's leading researchers in Gay/Lesbian consumerism, we provide
the strategy that can guide you through implementation to reach untapped
markets. Our strength is consultation
of sensitive issues and market plan development for all types to target the
gay/lesbian community in the mainstream media. www.opuscommgroup.com The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse
University -
As one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions in the field
of communications, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse
University is leading the development of the Census. www.syracuse.edu GSociety, Inc.
- A media/entertainment company whose reach and distribution channels target the
millions of gay and lesbian consumers worldwide. The GSociety family of companies provides advertisers direct access
to this valuable market. For more
information, visit www.gsociety.com Media Sponsors: Advocate, Axess Promotions, Curve Magazine,
Express, Gay Crawler, Instinct, Joey Magazine, Metro, Proud Parenting, and She
Magazine For
further information contact Jeffrey Garber, president, OpusComm Group, at
(315)422-6250 or jeff@opuscommgroup.com. Full
highlights of this study on Income, Politics, Consumer Behavior, Media habits,
relationships and other findings are available at www.glcensus.org ### IMPORTANT NOTICE: IN GRANTING BROADCAST/PRINT PERMISSION TO PUBLICIZE ANY/OR
ALL PORTIONS OF "2001 GAY/LESBIAN CONSUMER ONLINE CENSUS” INFORMATION
PROVIDED. You
are authorized to quote from this report only if credited as follows: “A Syracuse University, OpusComm Group,
GSociety Study". You may also want to add: “For more information please visit
http://www.glcensus.org”
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