Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) adults in America are more confident and hopeful about the economy and the US’s future than their heterosexual counterparts, with two-thirds (67%) of GLBTs reporting they think things in the country are going in the right direction, compared with 45% of heterosexuals, according to a study by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive.?
The results from the national survey showed an increase in optimism from June 2009 when 56% of GLBT adults said that things were headed the right way.
Personal Optimism Abounds
When it comes to their outlook on the economy and their own personal financial situation, GLBT adults also appear somewhat more confident than heterosexuals, the survey found. A majority (57%) of GLBT adults say they expect the economy to improve in the coming year, compared with 45% of heterosexual adults.? At the same time, 31%? o9f GLBTs expect their household’s financial condition to be better, vs. just 24% of heterosexual adults.
The survey also found that more than two-thirds (69%) of GLBT adults rate the overall job President Barack Obama is doing in handling the economy as excellent or pretty good, while only 38% of heterosexual adults agree.
Economic Confidence
While Americans are closely monitoring all aspects of the economy, GLBT adults continue to express more confidence in what the future may hold, said Harris Interactive. Four out of five (82%) GLBT adults say they trust President Barack Obama to do what is right for the American economy, compared with 60% of heterosexual adults.
Additonal survey findings:
- Some 69% of GLBT adults say they are confident the White House and the Administration will produce policies to help fix the economic crisis, while a slender majority (51%) of heterosexual adults agree.
- A majority (64%) of GLBT adults saythey think the stimulus plan passed earlier this year has been successful, compared with 39% heterosexual adults.
- More than half (53%) of GLBT adults, vs.? 30% of heterosexuals, rate the overall job President Barack Obama is doing in handling employment/unemployment as excellent or pretty good. In contrast – when critical of the President’s leadership, one-third (35%) of heterosexuals adults said they blame President Barack Obama for the country’s economic problems, yet only 13% of GLBT adults agree.
- One-fourth (27%) of heterosexual adults say they have no trust at all in President Barack Obama to do what is right for the American economy; only 7% of GLBT adults agree.
The favorability ratings for Obama are not surprising, given that last year’s exit polls suggest that at least three-fourths of GLBT Americans voted for Obama, according to? Wesley Combs, President of Witeck-Combs Communications.
While Combs said the survey did not specifically address policy matters directly affecting GLBT voters, and stressed that GLBTs are facing many of the same economic challenges as others during the recession, “the optimism and confidence shown by GLBT households is very telling, and policymakers and business leaders should take strong note.”
About the survey: The nationwide survey of 2,709 US adults, (ages 18+), of whom 378 self identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (which includes an over-sample of lesbian and gay adults), was conducted online between August 10-18, 2009. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. In addition, the results for the gay and lesbian sample were weighted separately based on profiles of the gay and lesbian population that Harris Interactive has compiled through many online surveys. Propensity score weighting also was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
