UPDATE, Sept. 20: As Hornet’s survey results have now been widely reported on, it’s important to note what can and should be extrapolated from this data — or, better yet, what cannot be and what should not be. Hornet’s survey was a voluntary, opt-in survey of 10,000 Hornet users; those users received a one-minute survey in their Hornet inbox. It’s important to acknowledge the obvious inherent biases that come with any opt-in survey, and for that reason, one must be careful in unfairly extrapolating from the data itself.
It would simply not be proper to extrapolate from an opt-in survey such as this a prediction of voter turnout in the 2020 U.S. election — by the greater LGBTQ community, or by the gay community more specifically. In effect, the only thing truly measured by Hornet’s results are the opinions of those Hornet users who chose to take the survey, not the broader Hornet user base, not gay American men, and most definitely not the broader American LGBTQ community. To infer that from the below data would be flawed.
Nevertheless, the data presented below is an interesting peek into a community — queer men — that is rarely surveyed, despite available data concerning the LGBTQ community as a whole. And for that reason, Hornet will continue to utilize this platform of 25 million global users to attempt to answer questions about issues affecting queer men around the globe.
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Tensions are at an all-time high in the United States as the upcoming 2020 presidential election looms closer. The election has already proven to be one of the most contentious in modern history, as the battle between Donald Trump and Joe Biden makes headlines around the world on a daily basis. But can it be said for certain on which side of the election queer men (gay men, bisexual men, trans men) fall, both in the United States and internationally? Hornet, as the world’s gay social network with more than 25 million users globally, took the opportunity to survey its users on the upcoming U.S. election and is singularly able to shed some light on the topic.
On Sept. 4, just shy of two months before the 2020 U.S. election, Hornet asked 10,000 queer men from every continent to weigh in on their candidate of choice, Donald Trump or Joe Biden, and also polled their level of support for Trump and his term in office. The survey’s results offer valuable insights — not just into how a subsection of the American queer male community says it will likely vote come November, but they also act as an ‘international report card’ of sorts on Trump’s time as president.
Of the 10,000 men Hornet surveyed, 12% identified themselves as U.S. citizens. Of those 1,200 American men, 51% answered they would be voting for Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election, while 45% — just shy of one-half — said they would be casting their ballot for Donald Trump. Asked about their level of support for Trump’s term as president, 49% responded, “I do not support him at all”; 11% responded, “I disagree with him on most issues”; 9% responded, “I disagree with him on some issues and agree with him on others”; 11% responded, “I agree with him on most issues”; and 16% responded, “I fully support him.”
This data on the self-reported, self-predicted voting habits of American queer men is interesting when compared to national U.S. poll data, which as of September 2020 place Biden’s support between 49–51% and Trump’s support between 42–43%*. While the percentage of Biden-supporting queer men who took Hornet’s survey falls within that range of national polling, the percentage of Trump-supporting queer men who took the survey is higher than what’s seen in national polls. This percentage of Trump-supporting queer men is also higher than what Hornet saw from queer men worldwide; among all 10,000 Hornet users surveyed, 66% support Joe Biden and 34% support Donald Trump.
The idea that gay men — a demographic that typically skews left — would vote for Donald Trump at a higher percentage than U.S. citizens overall would no doubt be very surprising were it to happen. And another surprise: 10% of the American gay men who took Hornet’s survey say they “do not support [Donald Trump] at all” but will vote for him nonetheless.
Hornet can also shed light on how support of the U.S. election’s two presidential contenders breaks down among queer men by continent. Among queer men in non-USA North America, 72% support Joe Biden and 26% support Donald Trump. Among queer men in South America, 76% support Joe Biden and 22% support Donald Trump. Among queer men in Europe, 65% support Joe Biden and 33% support Donald Trump. Among queer men in Asia, 61% support Joe Biden and 36% support Donald Trump. Among queer men in Africa, 62% support Joe Biden and 33% support Donald Trump. And among queer men in Australia/Oceania, 74% support Joe Biden and 22% support Donald Trump.
Users who responded to Hornet’s survey from two countries in particular, Taiwan and Russia, showed higher percentages of support for Donald Trump than Joe Biden. In Taiwan, 47% of respondents back Joe Biden and 51% back Donald Trump. In Russia, 38% of respondents back Joe Biden and 58% back Donald Trump.
As a gay social network, Hornet has the unique ability to survey a worldwide queer male user base on issues of national and international concern. Back in 2017, Hornet conducted a survey of its French users which found a surprisingly high number of gay men (nearly 20%) had intentions to vote for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen — a story that was widely reported, including by the BBC.
*U.S. national polling data gathered from a Sept. 10 Monmouth University poll and updated averages of general election polls by FiveThirtyEight.com and 270towin.com.
Hornet is available for free download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
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About Hornet
Founded in 2011, Hornet is the world’s gay social network. With over 25 million users globally, the Hornet mission is to inspire and empower gay men to create a global, connected community that moves society forward. Powered by cutting-edge technology, Hornet has become the number one gay app in markets like France, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, and Taiwan, and is rapidly expanding its sizable user base in the United States. More information at hornet.com
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Media inquiries: Stephan Horbelt, Executive Editor, stephan.horbelt@hornet.com
