Most Canadians support Queer-friendly businesses, but support varies by demographics, geography, and politics
Executive Summary
A survey of 1,001 Canadian consumers by Empirical Intelligence shows that most Canadians would buy from Queer-friendly businesses.
Key Findings
- Age and education do not account for variation in Canadians’ intentions to buy from businesses that support the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
- Intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses are higher in Ontario, in urban areas, and among women.
- Intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses are 27 percentage points higher among Liberal voters than among Conservative voters.
Understanding public opinion toward Queer-friendly businesses is increasingly important for organizations making decisions about brand values, sponsorships, and community engagement. This article presents original 2SLGBTQ+ market research in Canada, examining public opinion toward Queer-friendly businesses and how consumer support varies across demographic, geographic, and political groups.
In a recent survey of Canadians by Empirical Intelligence for The Pink Pages Directory, we found that 61% of Canadians say they would buy a product or service from a company that supports the 2SLGBTQ+ community. I took a deeper dive into the data to see how that sentiment varies across demographic and political divides. I found that intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses show little variation across some divides but large gaps across others.
Age and education do not account for variation in Canadians’ intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses
Intentions to purchase from Queer-friendly businesses are identical among Canadians under and over age 45, at 61%. Similarly, Canadians with and without a university education have essentially the same purchase intentions.
Figure 1. Intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses are similar among younger and older Canadians
Figure 2. Intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses are similar among university graduates and among Canadians without university degrees
Canadian consumer intentions toward Queer-friendly businesses vary by region, community type, and gender
There are enough respondents from Ontario, Quebec, and Western Canada (BC, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan) to calculate intentions to purchase from Queer-friendly businesses in each of those regions. Intentions are higher in Ontario, at 66%, and lower in Quebec, at 54%. They are the same as the overall national level in Western Canada.
Figure 3. Intentions to buy from businesses that support the Queer community are higher in Ontario and lower in Quebec
Canadians in big towns and cities as well as the suburbs around them are more likely to say they would buy from Queer-friendly businesses than residents of smaller towns or rural areas.
Figure 4. Intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses are higher in larger towns, cities, and suburbs than in smaller towns and rural areas
Women are six percentage points more likely than men to say they would buy from Queer-friendly businesses.
Figure 5. Women have higher intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses than men
Politics, not demographics, drives the biggest gap in support for Queer-friendly businesses
The demographic divides in intentions to purchase from companies that support the Queer community pale by comparison with the political divide. There were enough respondents who intended to vote Liberal and Conservative in the survey to calculate intentions to buy from Queer-friendly businesses in each group. I found that 76% of Liberals say they would buy from businesses that support the Queer community and 49% of Conservatives say the same. That’s a difference of 27 percentage points. Nevertheless, it is important to point out that nearly half of Conservative voters say they would buy from Queer-friendly businesses.
Figure 6. Liberals have 27 percentage points higher purchase intentions from Queer-friendly businesses than Conservatives
Most Canadians would buy from businesses that support the Queer community but there are holdouts
A large majority of Canadians would buy from Queer-friendly businesses. Canadian consumer intentions toward Queer-friendly businesses are high regardless of age or level of education. Support is higher in Ontario and lower in Quebec. It is higher in more urban areas than in rural areas. It is also higher among women than among men.
By far, the biggest gap is between Canadians who support the Liberals and the Conservatives. Liberal voters overwhelmingly say they would spend their money at businesses that support the Queer community, while just under half of Conservatives say they would buy from Queer-friendly businesses.
Businesses that are considering supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community should know that most Canadians are happy to buy from businesses that do. Such support is not a niche strategy. Most Canadians look favourably upon businesses that do.
The advantages and disadvantages of supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community vary by market segment. Intentions to spend money with Queer-friendly businesses are lower in Quebec, in more rural areas, among men, and, especially, among Conservatives.
For organizations navigating decisions about supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community, broad national averages can be misleading. Understanding where support is strong, where it is weaker, and how it intersects with political identity is exactly where tailored market research helps organizations act confidently rather than cautiously.