International Anthropomorphic Research Project Furry Fiesta 2012 Working Paper Full Citation: Plante, C. N., Reysen, S., Roberts, S. E., & Gerbasi, K. C. (2012). International Anthropomorphic Research Project: Furry Fiesta 2012. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/anthropomorphicresearch/past-results/furry-fiesta-2012 Examples of the envelopes the Furry Fiesta 2012 ARP Surveys were sealed in. These two were decorated by furry participants. This winter, after the success of our research at Furry Fiesta 2011, and with a number of new research goals in mind, our team made its way to Furry Fiesta 2012. We handed out hundreds of surveys and, in conjunction with our convention attendance, we also carried out another international online survey of the furry fandom. In total, we received 1,098 participants from 32 different countries (after removing minors from the sample, as our ethics board prohibits us from conducting research on minors). Our sample consisted of 951 furries and 104 non- furries, as well as 152 therians. In addition to our usual questions, there were a number of new measures of interest, some of them based on hypotheses generated by the academic literature, others based entirely on questions asked of us by furries online and at conventions. In the end, we asked a variety of questions covering demographics, felt stigma against the fandom, self-esteem, connection felt with one’s fursona species, fantasy involvement, personality (both fursona personality and non- fursona personality), ideas about why the fandom is male-dominated, fan entitlement, attitudes towards animal rights, pet ownership and healthy/unhealthy fandom activities. In sum, we asked more than 300 questions. The data are currently being analyzed (and there are a near-infinite ways to potentially analyze the data), and so summarized/interesting data are presented below. As always, if you have any questions or would like clarification of the data here, or would like to suggest an analysis/test a hypothesis, please contact us (see link on the sidebar). Please note that all collected information is presented here in aggregate (summarzied) form, and there is absolutely NO identifying information in the data. We have no way of tracing responses back to the original participant (this is an anonymous survey). Additionally, any unique responses (e.g. species types selected by only one person) are not reported, to protect the anonymity of the participants. Additionally, summary statistics and the output of different analyses are included in this presentation of the data (e.g. t-tests, ANOVAs, regression analyses, means). They are always in brackets, and are always summarized just prior to their presentation. It is not necessary to understand them, but are included for the sake of anyone with a knack for stats or who wants to know a little more about the technical side of the research. Summary of questions: Demographics Q1: Where did the furries in your sample come from? Q2: How old is the average furry? Q3: How much of your sample was furry? Therian? Otherkin? Q4: What is the ethnic breakdown of the furry fandom? Q5: What is the sex breakdown of the furry fandom? Q6: What is the gender breakdown of the furry fandom? Q7: What is the sexual orientation of furries? Q8: Are furries mostly single or in relationships? Q9: What kind of education does the average furry have? Furry Statistics Q10: How "furry" is the average furry? a. Identify with being a furry b. Identify with other furries c. Identify with their fursona species d. Identify with the furry fandom e. Importance of furry in defining me Q11: How long has the average furry been a furry for? Q12: Do furries/therians consider themselves human? Q13: What have you learned about fursonas? a. How many fursonas does the average furry have? b. Do furries use fursonas to decide who to interact with? c. Do furries think fursona species says something important about a person? d. Do fursona personalities differ from non-fursona personalities? Animals Q14: Are furries more likely to be vegetarians? Q15: How do furries feel about animal rights? Q16: Do furries own pets? Furry Community Q17: Do furries feel a sense of "entitlement" when it comes to artists? Q18: How much do furries think the average person knows about their community? Q19: How distinct is the furry fandom from related fandoms? Q20: Furries and fantasy: Do furries have an active imagination? Demographics Q1: Where did the furries in your sample come from? In this survey, approximately 70% of our sample (N = 776) came from online sources (e.g. Wikifur, local furry forums, Flayrah, Furry News Network, FurAffinity, etc...), while the remaining 30% (N=322) completed the survey at Furry Fiesta 2012. The above figure, showing the percentage of the furry sample that came from various locations, illustrates another consistency with our previous research: the majority of furries in our study are from North America and Europe. That said, we consistently report furries from a number of countries all over the world, and would undoubtedly be better able to tap into many of these populations if, in future surveys, we were to use translated versions of our surveys and to access more regionally popular/relevant furry websites. Q2: How old is the average furry? As we have found in previous years, the age distribution of furries illustrates that the majority of furries are relatively young. While minors from the study had to be cut due to ethical restrictions, these data suggest that the fandom is comprised primarily of under-25 participants. That said, there is also evidence to suggest that there is a significant proportion of furries over the age of 25 (upwards of 30%), and with furries of all ages being present in the fandom, well into their 50s and 60s. Q3: How much of your sample was is furry? Therian? Otherkin? In total, 90.1% of our participants self-identified as furry, with another 9.9% identifying themselves as non-furry. Beyond this, we also asked participants whether they identified themselves as therians and/or as otherkin. Our past research has suggested that while there are a remarkable number of similarities between furries, therians, and otherkin, there are differences which, for many, are particularly important and meaningful. We allowed participants to use their own definition of what a therian and an otherkin was. For the purposes of our readers here, therianthropy, as best determined by our past research and based on interviews/discussions with therians, is the belief in a felt connection to one's fursona - be it a spiritual connection, psychological connection, physical connection, or otherwise (a feeling of identifying with a particular species in one fashion or another). Regarding otherkin: empirically, there have been essentially no distinguishable differences between therians and otherkin, and the closest we've been able to approach regarding a "definition" of otherkin is that they represent therians whose connected species is one of fantasy/lore (e.g. dragons, mystical creatures). Of course, there is a tremendous amount of research to be done on the subject in future surveys, and these definitions are not intended to be "official" or "authoritative" in any way; they are merely meant to guide the uninformed reader as to what some have defined therians and otherkin as. When asked if they considered themselves to be a therian, 14.5% of our participants said yes, 58.4% said no, and the remaining 27.1% said they did not know what a therian was. Of the people self- identifying astherians, 94.7% of them also identified as furries (suggesting that 5.3% of therians in our sample did not identify themselves as furry). A similar analysis was conducted for otherkin, and found that 11.9% of our sample identified themselves as otherkin, while 65.0% did not, and another 23.2% said they did not know what an otherkin was. 89.6% of the otherkin in our sample identified themselves as furries. Finally, 36.2% of therians also identified themselves as otherkin, and 5.0% of our total sample identified as a furry, therian, and otherkin. Q4: What is the ethnic breakdown of the furry fandom? As the above figure (and past research on the fandom has shown), the furry fandom tends to be primarily, though certainly not entirely white. A number of other ethnic groups are represented in our sample, and it is likely that our research being conducted in western cultures contributes, at least in part, to these findings. Q5: What is the sex breakdown of the furry fandom? Participants in our survey were asked to identify their biological sex. Interestingly, while the fandom was still heavily male-dominated, with 76.8% of furry participants reporting being biologically male, it should be noted that this is down considerably from our average of about 85% from past surveys. While one data point is certainly not enough to suggest a trend, it may be an encouraging sign of the fandom becoming increasingly inviting for females, with 21.0% of furry participants reporting being biologically female. Finally, 2.2% of furries reported being either transgendered or "other". Q6: What is the gender breakdown of the furry fandom? Recognizing that sex and gender are two completely different concepts, we also asked participants to identify, on a 5-point scale ranging from "Entirely male" to "Entirely Female" (with options for predominantly male/female and equal parts male/female), with the additional option to select "other". As you can see, an appreciation for the fluidity of gender as a construct suggests that for up to half the fandom there is at least some difference between biological sex and gender, with approximately half of the fandom identifying at least somewhat with traditionally masculine and feminine traits.