56% of US millennials think binary gender notions are outdated, survey finds

NEW YORK — The future feels fluid.

A new study released this week found that more than half (56%) of millennials in the United States see notions of binary gender as outdated. The same is true for about half of young Generation Z adults, according to a study conducted by Orlando-based advertising agency Bigeye.

According to the Pew Research Center, Generation Z is defined as those born after 1996, colloquially referred to as Zoomers. Millennials, also known as Generation Y, were born between 1981 and 1996.

In the Bigeye study, which was released Wednesday, researchers set out to gauge consumer sentiment toward traditional male and female gender roles, as well as their notions of gender beyond the binary.

In the study, entitled “Beyond the Binary: American’s Attitudes, Lifestyles, Purchasing Behaviors, and the Implications for Advertisers and Marketers,” Bigeye researchers interviewed more than 2,000 U.S. adults, hoping to understand whether traditional gender roles in advertising have the power to influence brand perceptions.

New study gathered insights into sentiment in the U.S. toward gender beyond the binary of male and female.

“For a significant percentage of younger generations, the notion of identity is fluid and decidedly nontraditional. Gender identity is something felt, while gender expression is seen as a choice. And both might be different from the sex a person was assigned at birth,” Adrian Tennant, VP of insights, said in a statement.

The advocacy group GLAAD defines gender identity as “a person’s internal, deeply held sense of their gender.” Gender expression is defined as the “external manifestations of gender, expressed through a person’s name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, and/or body characteristics.”

“This study provides a snapshot of the broad, generational spectrum of opinions and beliefs held toward gender identity and expression within the media we consume daily through TV, ads and online platforms,” Tennant added.

“While the majority of older generations remain skeptical of advertising’s ability to change perceptions of traditional gender roles, GenX (born between 1965 and 1980) and younger are leading the charge and challenging brands to portray more diverse audiences and expressions,” he said.

Indeed, more than half (51%) of all respondents agreed that in a decade, people will associate gender with stereotypical notions much less than how they do it today.

Respondents represented a wide range of generations, socioeconomic backgrounds, geographic locations and gender identities.

According to researchers, fewer than half of LGBTQ+ respondents (45%) said they felt well represented in the advertising they see.

The data will also be useful to quantify opinions of U.S. adults about products that are designed and marketed for one specific gender, such as dolls for girls and toy cars for boys, the company said.

For example, 20% of those who identify as female said that none of the consumer product categories benefit from being marketed to a specific gender.

For the first part of the two-phase study, which took place during three days in September, researchers asked a group of nonbinary, transgender, genderqueer, and genderfluid participants about their day-to-day experiences.

Those answers helped researchers with the design of the second phase of the research, when they reached out to a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults with a 72-question survey.

The answers, which were collected in December, helped to “provide a snapshot of the broad spectrum of opinions and beliefs held in America today.”

“This research allows us to tap into consumer sentiment of gender roles throughout each generation, better understanding the topics and depictions that matter most to Americans,” added Justin Ramb, the company’s president and CEO.

“This will be a pivotal year for brands to show they are really listening to their customers and reflecting their values,” he added.