Sexual Orientation and Consumer Behavior: A Meta-analysis

相当多的研究调查了同性恋消费者的行为，并将其与大多数异性恋消费者的行为进行了比较。这些研究提供了不一致的结果，要么表明同性恋者和异性恋者之间存在差异，要么表明这些差异并不显著。理论解释也不一致，表明消费者行为既有差异，也有趋同。这个荟萃分析试图回答这样的问题：同性恋和异性恋消费者的行为是否不同，这些差异是怎样的，以及如何解释这些差异。荟萃分析应用了几个被先前研究忽略的解释因素，主要是因为它们难以调查。这些因素包括文化差异、随时间的变化、性别和研究参与者的其他人口统计学特征以及方法细节（例如抽样程序）。该项目对科学、实践和社会都有贡献。科学贡献是指对性取向对消费者行为影响的结果进行整合，并对结果的不一致进行解释。该项目解释了先前研究中的不一致之处，并有助于评估不同理论解释的相关性。元分析可以进一步确定研究不足的强有力的发现，作为未来有希望的研究领域。由此，该项目为消费者和市场研究以及有关同性恋的社会学研究提供了一个新的研究议程。作为对从业者的贡献，荟萃分析的发现为营销部门或广告公司的营销和传播经理提供了如何恰当地处理同性恋消费者的信息。同性恋和异性恋消费者是否存在差异以及如何存在差异，为社会上关于同性恋少数群体权利平等运动的政治讨论提供了重要贡献。歧视是基于存在差异的假设。这些差异是否确实存在，如果存在，如何用文化、人口等因素来解释，这些问题的答案可以减少歧视，支持机会平等。

A considerable number of studies has investigated the behavior of homosexual consumers and compared this behavior with the behavior of the majority of heterosexual consumers. The studies provide inconsistent findings that show that either differences exist between homosexuals and heterosexuals or that these differences are not significant. The theoretical accounts are not consistent either, suggesting both differences as well as convergence in consumer behavior. This meta-analysis tries to answer the question whether the behavior of homosexual and heterosexual consumers differs, how these differences look like, and how they can be explained.The meta-analysis applies several explanatory factors that have been ignored by prior research, mainly because they are difficult to investigate. These factors include cultural differences, changes over time, gender and other demographic characteristics of study participants as well as method details (e.g., sampling procedure).The project contributes to science, practice, and society. The scientific contribution refers to the integration of results and the explanation of inconsistencies in findings regarding the influence of sexual orientation on consumer behavior. The project explains inconsistencies in prior research and helps to evaluate the relevance of different theoretical ac-counts. The meta-analysis further can identify strong findings that have been under-researched as promising future research areas. By this, the project provides a new re-search agenda for consumer and marketing research as well as for sociological research concerning homosexuality. As a contribution to practitioners, the findings of the meta-analysis provide information to marketing and communication managers in marketing departments or advertising agencies on show how to address homosexual consumers appropriately. Whether and how homosexual and heterosexual consumers differ provides an important contribution to the political discussion in society on the equality of rights movements of the homosexual minority. Discrimination is based on the assumption that differences exist. An answer to the question whether these differences indeed exist and, if so, how they can be explained by culture, demographics, etc. can reduce discrimination and support equality of chances.