AUTHOR=Palanica Adam , Lopez Luke , Gomez Amy , Fossat Yan 

TITLE=Effects of Including Gender Pronoun Questions in Surveys

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873442

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873442

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>This research examines whether the mere presence of asking about gender pronouns (e.g., she/her, he/him, they/them, and ze/zir) in a survey enhances participants’ attitudes and satisfaction of answering the questions. A large sample (<italic>N</italic> = 1,511) of heterosexual, cisgender, and LGBTQIA+ participants across the United States (US) were surveyed an online “personality test” (as a deception), with the real purpose of examining whether asking a pronoun question enhanced their perceptions of the survey. Three demographic groups were included: (i) heterosexual–cisgender (<italic>n</italic> = 503), (ii) gay–cisgender (<italic>n</italic> = 509), and (iii) genderqueer (trans, non-conforming, other, <italic>n</italic> = 499). Half of each group were randomly given either a survey that included a gender pronoun question (test) or not (control), and then all rated their perceptions of the survey questions. For participants who identified as heterosexual or gay, no major differences were found between survey conditions. However, participants who identified as genderqueer experienced significant increases of satisfaction, comfort level, and perceived relevance of the questions when given a survey that asked their gender pronouns versus the survey that did not. These findings have implications for any surveys that ask about personal demographics, and suggest that any form of written communication should include clarity about gender pronouns.</p>