The goal of demographic data collection is to gather information that is accurate, complete, inclusive, and usable. When we successfully collect data in this way, we:
- Continue to lead in LGBTQIA2S+ inclusion
- Increase student and employee success
- Enhance feelings of belonging on campus
- Support LGBTQIA2S+ student thriving
Please note: demographic collection practices change over time and we will update this resource as new inclusive practices emerge. Further, there are nuances to how to best collect demographic information, as well as names and pronouns, that vary based on the type of collection. For example, how you collect and manage data may be very different if you are booking student travel than it would be if you are writing a survey. If you have further questions about demographic data after reviewing the below recommendations, please submit a consultation request.
Questions and considerations
Demographic information can be understood as a bureaucratic necessity, mandated by federal, state, or university systems. It can also be a tool of social justice used to shed light on inequalities and oppressive experiences. However, LGBTQIA2S+ identities have historically not been included in collection and, when included, often use language that leads to inaccuracies and potential harm. Specifically, survey design can misrepresent, invisibilize, or stigmatize individuals and communities (APA, 2016; Garvey, 2020). Therefore, we invite you to consider the following questions as you engage in demographic data collection:
- Do you need to collect this information? Why?
- How will you collect this information?
- What will you do with this information?
- If this information is inaccurate, what are the consequences for the respondent or respondents’ communities?
Orienting around key values
Center the following values in your data collection process.
- This information will only be reported in aggregate.
- Your individual responses are kept strictly confidential.
- Providing this information is optional.
- This information will not be used for discriminatory purposes.
- This information is requested due to [insert legal/bureaucratic process].
Recommendations
Use our demographics template through Qualtrics. It contains guidelines for collecting demographic data specific to gender identity, sex on record, sex assigned at birth, sexual identity/orientation, and other LGBTQ+identities/experiences. This survey is housed in the U-M Qualtrics Library, meaning you can directly add to your own Qualtrics survey using the “copy from library” function, detailed here. Note: Instead of importing from existing project as suggested in the Qualtrics instructions, search for “LGBTQ+ Demographic Data Collection” to find the survey in the U-M Library.
- Alternatively, copy and paste the questions into your own survey software.
- Specific examples of demographic questions (e.g., university data collection, social science surveys, travel information, classroom information).
Resources
- Suggested best practices for asking sexual orientation and gender on college applications (Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals)
- How to ask about sexuality/gender (Vanderbilt LGBTQI Life Center)
- Promising practices for collecting and managing names, gender, pronouns, honorifics, and sexual identities (MSU Gender and Sexuality Campus Center)
- Promising practices for inclusion of gender identity/gender expression in higher education (The Pennsylvania State Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity)
- American Psychological Association. (2016). Resolution on Data about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. http://www.apa.org/about/policy/data-sexual-orientation
- Garvey, J. C. (2014). Demographic information collection in higher education and student affairs survey instruments: Developing a national landscape for intersectionality. Intersectionality & higher education: Theory, research, & praxis, 201-216.
- Garvey, J. C. (2014). Demographic information collection in higher education and student affairs survey instruments: Developing a national landscape for intersectionality. In Intersectionality & Higher Education: Research, Theory, & Praxis. Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers.
- Garvey, J. C. (2020). Critical Imperatives for Studying Queer and Trans Undergraduate Student Retention. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 21(4), 431-454.
- Garvey, J. C., Hart, J., Metcalfe, A. S., & Fellabaum-Toston, J. (2019). Methodological troubles with gender and sex in higher education survey research. The Review of Higher Education, 43(1), 1-24.
- Rankin, S. and Garvey, J.C. (2015). Identifying, Quantifying, and Operationalizing Queer-Spectrum and Trans-Spectrum Students: Assessment and Research in Student Affairs. New Directions for Student Services, 2015(152), 73-84. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20146
- Suen, L. W., Lunn, M. R., Katuzny, K., et al. (2020). What sexual and gender minority people want researchers to know about sexual orientation and gender identity questions: A qualitative study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49, 2301-2318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01810-y