LGBT+ Kiwis are more educated and better paid, data shows

Sunday, 13 November 2022

Greater representation in data means the needs of the LGBT+ community can be met, an advocate says.

New data from Stats NZ suggests it pays to be gay, but a rainbow community leader questions how safe LGBT+ New Zealanders feel when completing survey questions about their identity.

Stats NZ’s latest annual Household Economic Survey was the second time respondents were asked about their sexual orientation and gender identity.

According to the data, published on Wednesday, 33.9% of LGBT+ people held a bachelor’s degree qualification or higher, 6.2% more than the non-LGBT+ population.

Members of the rainbow community earned $100 more after tax annually than the non-LGBT+ population, when adjusted for age. However, gender-diverse people earned $10,400 less annually.

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Stats NZ's general manager of social and population insights, Jason Attewell, says rainbow people's 'horrible experience' of not seeing themselves reflected in the census data is about to change. (Video first published November 2020)

Sidney Wong, a co-chairperson of Christchurch rainbow group Qtopia and the chairperson of the Ethnic Rainbow Alliance, said having LGBT+ data meant changes and challenges facing the community could be tracked over time.

“It also shows the changing face of our rainbow community. For example, there was a decrease in Asian data.”

He said it was a timely reminder of the need for government agencies to work alongside local rainbow communities ahead of next year’s census, “so we can ensure they are collecting data in a safe way”.

“It’s scary, not just to come out to yourself and your family, but the Government too,” Wong said.

“It could mean the data is not as reflective of our communities as it should be.”

Having that data was important, he said, because it showed other LGBT+ people – especially those who were also ethnic minorities – that they weren’t invisible, and any negative outcomes experienced by particular groups could be addressed.

Coming out can still be a scary experience in New Zealand. In June, a Pride Walk of Support that marked the start of Pride Week in Christchurch was met with some protest.

“When you see data about yourself, you know you exist … You’re not on your own.”

The upcoming census would be the first one in which New Zealanders were asked about their sexual and gender identity.

People would also be asked what sex they were given at birth.

Jason Attewell, Stats NZ’s social and population insights general manager, told Stuff last year that sexual identity questions would be asked only of people aged 15 or older. The form could be completed privately online if the oversight of a household member was an issue.

One person who spoke to Stuff anonymously admitted they would probably lie when asked about their sexuality.

They were still in the process of accepting their asexuality – the lack or absence of sexual attraction, or interest in sexual activity – and had only told a few people.

“Finding out how many of us there are and maybe seeing more services available sounds amazing. But things happen, things can get leaked … If for some reason that happened, I don’t know what I’d do.”

They couldn’t shake the fear that somewhere there would be a list with their name and sexuality beside it.

According to Stats NZ’s privacy policy, data was destroyed once no longer needed.

If needed, it was securely stored and only supplied to trusted researchers after several safety steps were taken, including removing identifying information such as names.

The latest Stats NZ survey captured information of more than 32,000 adults for the year ended in June 2021.

People in the LGBT+ population were 2.9 times more likely to experience daily feelings of depression and 4.2% more likely to have a disability.

Some 58% of LGBT+ respondents were 18 to 34 years old. Wong said this could help identify where in the country rainbow-friendly services for elderly people, for example, were needed.

“At the moment a lot of our national organisations focus on youth, but what about those getting into work and further training?

“Data like this could help identify what services are needed, not just how many and where they are.”

*CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said people’ssex would not be asked in next year’s census, as this information was collected at birth. People will in fact be asked what sex they were given at birth. (Amended 12.31pm, November 15, 2022)