Gays Optimistic About Economic Recovery

As the U.S. economy shows added signs of recovery and stability, a new national poll asked a broad cross-section of Americans their expectations for the economy’s improvement nationally as well as their feelings about their own financial circumstances. Three-quarters (74%) of all Americans believe the economy will improve or remain the same this year, however four in ten gay and lesbian adults (39%) expect the 2011 economy to improve, while that optimistic attitude is held by only 29% of heterosexual adults. Based on several earlier surveys conducted by Harris Interactive, lesbians and gay men have consistently held more optimistic views on the economy.

In addition, when asked about their own financial security compared to last year, 30% of gay and lesbian adults agree overall they feel more secure, while the same can be said of just 19% of heterosexual adults. These attitudes, of course, may be shaped also by how adults judge President Obama’s handling of the economy –half (50%) of gay and lesbian adults rate President Obama as doing an excellent or pretty good job, and 29% of heterosexual adults score the Administration’s economic stewardship the same way.

The new nationwide survey of 2,519 U.S. adults (ages 18 and over), of whom 312 self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT), was conducted online between December 6 and December 13, 2010, by Harris Interactive, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the LGBT market.

“In tough economic times, nearly all households feel pain and make sacrifices,” noted Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications. “Same-sex couples and their families, in fact, have a more fragile safety net today under existing outdated laws and unequal policies. Nonetheless, they increasingly believe, more than others, that this recovery is becoming real and tangible.”