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According to Precision Marketing magazine (10th July) the UKs only dedicated gay market research agency, ID Research, is to create a gay census to identify gay and lesbian spending patterns and attitudes to services and brands, as well as data including family history, health issues and geographical mobility.
Businesses have the opportunity to field brand-specific questions in the census, which is being disseminated to all sections of the community including gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and transsexuals.
Although the data will not be sold to third parties, says the magazine, marketers can request cross- tabulated data, for example Internet access overlaid with geographic location.
There has been no previous marketing survey of the UK’s gay community, says ID Research managing director, David Pinson, which means that spending profiles have tended to be inaccurate.
"Many of the needs of the community are provided by the commercial sector, but there is little information and guidance to ensure that the needs of the population in all its diversity are met," he says.
