63% OF CONSUMERS SAY DIVERSE REPRESENTATION IN ADVERTISING IS IMPORTANT; 47% LIKELY TO BUY FROM BRANDS THAT FEATURE DIVERSITY, NUMERATOR REPORTS

44% Say LGBTQ+ Representation is Important: Higher Among Gen Z, Black Consumers, Asian Consumers

CHICAGO, June 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has released new data on diverse representation in advertising, sourced from a sentiment survey of over 1,200 consumers, equally balanced between Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, and Boomers+. Overall, 63% of consumers say diverse representation in advertising is important to them, though younger, urban, and racially diverse shoppers place a higher emphasis on the importance of diversity and its positive impact than older, rural, and white consumers.

Overall Representation Findings:

  • Nearly two-thirds of consumers think diverse representation in advertising is important. 63% say diverse representation in advertising is definitely or somewhat important to them, while only 16% say it is unimportant.

  • Racial and ethnic diversity, age diversity, and disability representation were listed as most important across generations. When asked which types of diversity are important or compelling in advertising, 62% of consumers cite racial and ethnic diversity, followed by age diversity (56%), disability representation (56%), LGBTQ+ representation (37%) and gender identity (34%).

    • Younger consumers place a higher importance than older generations on LGBTQ+ representation and gender identity. 45% of Gen Z shoppers and 40% of Millennials say LGBTQ+ representation is important or compelling; 40% of Gen Z and 44% of Millennials say the same of gender identity.

  • The majority of consumers say diversity in advertising has a positive impact on society. Overall, 51% of consumers say it has a positive impact, with certain groups skewing higher: Gen Z (58%), Millennial (55%), urban (59%), Black (71%), Asian (62%) and Hispanic/Latino (58%) consumers.

  • Advertisements that feature diverse representation can sway consumer purchasing. 47% of consumers say they are likely to buy from a brand that includes diversity in their ads, while 41% say representation would not impact their decision to buy products. Only 12% of consumers say they are unlikely to buy from brands who feature diverse representation.

  • Consumers are split on the current level of diverse representation in advertising. While 47% of consumers believe the amount of representation is “just right,” 31% think there is too much and the remaining 22% believe there is not enough.

    • Gen Z and Black consumers want more diversity. Gen Z is 44% more likely and Black consumers are 76% more likely to say that there is not enough diverse representation in advertising, while Boomers+ consumers are 30% more likely to say there is too much, along with Gen X consumers (22% more likely).