3 What are the risks and rewards for a mainstream company targeting the gay segment? It is very difficult to estimate the size of the gay market in the UK. Although gay culture has increasingly become part of the mainstream, with many more openly gay celebrities and gay themes and characters featuring regularly in television dramas and comedies, Mintel (2000a, 2000b) has found that the gay market is largely a hidden population. Estimates of the size of the gay population vary between 3 per cent and 15 per cent of the total population but in Mintel’s view it is likely to be towards the lower end of the scale overall with a higher concentration in urban areas. Estimates of its spending power also vary between £6bn and

£8bn per annum in the UK and $464bn in the US.

There is some consensus on the characteristics of the gay market, however. Gay consumers are perceived to have a higher than average income, and almost 60 per cent of gay men are either single or not cohabiting.

Those who are cohabiting are likely to be in dualincome households. In terms of spending patterns, therefore, the lack of dependants and responsibilities gives gay consumers more opportunities for lifestyle spending with a strong focus on leisure and socialising.

The Gay Times has found that 80 per cent of its readership comes from the ABC1 socioeconomic groups, compared with 43 per cent of the general population.