Surveying the LGBTQ population(s) through social media Author: Supervisor: Marco D. TERRIBILI Prof. Assunta VITERITTI Surveying the LGBTQ population(s) through social media PhD in Applied Social Sciences Marco D. TERRIBILI Matr. 1799725 Supervisor Prof.ssa Assunta VITERITTI A.A. 2019-2020 Abstract The majority of quantitative studies regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer people, carried out worldwide, point out several recurring themes. In Italy, the main characteristics of these studies have been the intensive use of mixed-methods research and the support of the LGBTQ associations towards these studies. In fact, for a long time associations represented the main informative source on the LGBTQ community, promoting and partnering with the most important quantitative surveys about LGBTQ. Of course, the information provided has been extremely useful and informative, but social knowledge should go beyond “associationism” and associations activities. Today we can exploit innovative data sources, mainly those from social media, which can allow us to reach, investigate and study this population(s) bypassing associations, hitherto unavoidable. In this context, a challenging research project, called “Over the rainbow”, has been carried out through a survey, which has involved all those Instagram users, listed by a web-scraping software, who tag their pictures with some of the most common LGBTQ community hashtags. Studying the application of big data methods on issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation ensures that this project grounds on two main theoretical frameworks, which are getting more and more intertwined: gender studies and digital sociology. The survey investigated some of the thornier subjects in LGBTQ people’s daily life, such as self- perception of gender identity and sexual orientation, coming-out experience, participation in LGBTQ Pride events, homotransphobia and discrimination experiences suffered. The survey’s results give both methodological suggestions, about the use of social media big data for studying the LGBTQ population(s), but also important informative contents, for instance, the massive use of dating apps, LGBTQ’s relationship with civil rights associations, and the “sneaky” nature of gender and sexual discrimination. In this research project, the methodology becomes as important as the studied field, and the attention paid to sequentially conduct, interviews before, and a survey after, led to an acquaintance with the characteristics of the LGBTQ population(s) which could be useful for planning and promoting efficient social policies for LGBTQ inclusion. Keywords: LGBTQ, social media data, survey design, sexual orientation, gender identity, discrimination Contents INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................1 PART 1: LGBTQ SURVEYS AND QUANTITATIVE STUDIES REVIEWS..................................9 1) Surveying LGBTQ people: a definition matter.....................................................11 1.1 Sex-Gender-Sexuality system: the contribution of Gender and Queer studies................................................................................................................11 1.2 Historical, political and regulatory framework of LGBTQ rights claims….....15 1.3 Studying LGBTQ: epistemological and methodological considerations about a hidden population(s)..........................................................................................17 1.4 What is the aim of LGBTQ surveys?................................................................19 2) International studies...................................................................................................22 2.1 Australian pioneering studies for estimating non-heterosexual population.....23 2.2 Statistics Canada: a benchmark for many others NSIs.....................................24 2.3 Quantifying the Hijras, ancient third gender of the Indian subcontinent.......26 2.4 A long design phase to introduce SOGI questions in the survey: the New Zealand experience............................................................................................28 2.5 The importance of data for the LGBT Action Plan in the U.K.........................29 2.6 Underestimation of the LGBT American population size and anti-gay sentiment magnitude.........................................................................................31 3) European studies..........................................................................................................33 3.1 The “long way to go for LGBTI equality” and the awareness of data need in the European Union................................................................................................33 3.2 How many people are not heterosexual in European countries? A question whose importance is waning.............................................................................34 3.3 Counting the European LGBTQ population: a “private matter”.....................35 3.4 Life on Margins’. A study to fill the data gap in South-eastern Europe...........36 3.5 Europe’s main actor against discrimination: the Fundamental Rights Agency...............................................................................................................38 4) Italian studies...............................................................................................................41 4.1 The national context and the use of mixed-methods in the research about LGBTQ in Italy.................................................................................................41 4.2 The “modern homosexual” concept...................................................................43 4.3 Different from whom? The Saraceno’s metropolitan research experience........45 4.4 A set of surveys and not a single one. Istat’s choice for a SOGI-sensitive official statistics.............................................................................................................46 LGBTQ surveys and studies reviews: concluding remarks.............................................................50 PART 2: METHODOLOGIES USED AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATION............................53 5) Why using big data for studying LGBTQ population(s).....................................55 5.1 Instagram users data for the “Over The Rainbow” survey..............................55 5.2 Big data and social research: methodological and theoretical implications of new tools............................................................................................................57 5.3 Affirming and performing gender identity and sexual orientation on social media..................................................................................................................60 5.4 Rainbow social media: different networked publics for different users.............63 5.5 Using Instagram hashtags in social research....................................................67 5.6 Breaking into the social media black box: web-scraping Instagram..................70 6) The sequential use of qualitative and quantitative methods for studying LBGTQs.........................................................................................................................75 6.1 What to ask and how to ask it? Drafting a proper questionnaire about LGBTQ..............................................................................................................75 6.2 Qualitative vs. Quantitative: the sequential pragmatic approach....................76 6.3 How digital technologies changed the LGBTQ community daily life...............78 6.4 Gender matters: self-perception and discrimination within LGBTQ...............83 Methodologies used and their theoretical implication: concluding remarks..............................88 PART 3: SURVEY RESULTS..................................................................................................................91 7) “Who would answer to an LGBTQ survey on Instagram?”: socio-demographic patterns of the respondents.......................................................................................93 7.1 Data collection phase, sample size and response rate........................................93 7.2 A young and free LGBTQ population(s)..........................................................95 7.3 LGBTQ in the labour market: the workers respondents...................................99 7.4 A respondents geographic distribution which represents the whole population........................................................................................................101 7.5 Not only civil union: the respondents' relationship status.............................104 8) Self-perception: to define, or not to define, themselves ....................................107 8.1 Biological sex: the third option........................................................................107 8.2 Gender identity: who people feel to be.............................................................109 8.3 A multitude of sexual orientations to define who people love.........................112 8.4 Coming-out: unveiling themselves in real-life and on the social media……..116 8.5 Self-perception according to gender studies concepts.....................................118 9) Social media, apps and digital technology among LGBTQ population(s)...............................................................................................................122