Pride Month Participation in 2026: What Does The Data Say?

Company LGBTQ+ engagement is contracting. In line with Gravity Analysis’s 2025 Pride Pulse Poll, 39% of firms diminished total Pleasure Month engagement in 2025, up from simply 9% in 2024 – a fourfold improve yr over yr. 

Our latest survey of 4,000 customers throughout america, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia exhibits that whereas firms have gotten extra hesitant about their participation, customers nonetheless carefully watch how manufacturers have interaction and more and more distinguish between real help and performative advertising and marketing.

Key findings:

• 48% to 57% of customers throughout markets say that model participation in Pleasure Month is necessary to them. The development is most pronounced amongst Gen Zs (69-75%), Millennials (66-78%), and LGBTQ+ neighborhood members (76-85%).
• 32% to 37% of respondents anticipate manufacturers to take part in Pleasure Month. 39-46% say that manufacturers shouldn’t take part in the event that they don’t genuinely help LGBTQ+ rights.
• 28% to 37% of customers say that lately, they’ve observed manufacturers scaling again Pleasure Month participation.
• Yr-round help, donations, and public advocacy are thought of an important indicators of authenticity in manufacturers, whereas taking part solely when it’s commercially handy is seen as performative.
• 26% to 32% say that they’ve bought a Pleasure-themed product prior to now, largely as a result of they appreciated the design or needed to help the neighborhood.

Customers anticipate manufacturers to point out up for Pleasure — particularly youthful ones

On this previous decade, we’ve gotten used to firms altering their logos, rolling out LGBTQ+ associated advertising and marketing campaigns, and developing with all types of restricted version merchandise or provides in June. Nevertheless, this sort of conduct is slowly altering as manufacturers cut back their Pleasure actions. 

This shift is occurring regardless of our survey exhibiting that Pleasure participation meaningfully influences model notion. 48% of People, 51% of Brits, 56% of Canadians, and 57% of Australians mentioned it’s necessary to them that manufacturers take part in Pleasure Month, with 11% to 14% noting it’s extraordinarily necessary. 

This development is most evident amongst youthful customers and those that establish with the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Gen Z (69%–75%) and Millennials (66%–78%) are essentially the most conscious of how manufacturers present their values. Model help can also be essential for LGBTQ+ neighborhood members. 76% to 85% of them mentioned they respect this sort of help. 

Child boomers care the least about Pleasure participation. Nevertheless, their notion varies considerably by nation. Solely 28% of American and 31% of British boomers care about model involvement in Pleasure Month, whereas in Canada and Australia, the chances attain 41% and 42%, respectively. 

Unsurprisingly, the shift in how manufacturers method Pleasure Month hasn’t gone unnoticed by customers. The survey exhibits that 37% of People, 28% of Brits, 33% of Canadians, and 34% of Australians say they’ve observed manufacturers decreasing their participation in Pleasure occasions lately. Amongst LGBTQ+ members, this consciousness was even larger, starting from 58% to 67% throughout international locations. 

“Customers are paying a lot nearer consideration as to if manufacturers follow the values they speak about,” says Marty Bauer, Ecommerce Professional at Omnisend. “That applies to Pleasure campaigns, but additionally to sustainability, social points, and firm tradition usually. Subjects tied to id have a tendency to attract much more consideration as a result of folks usually take them personally.”

Why is authenticity a key a part of Pleasure marketing campaign? 

Whether or not customers settle for a model’s participation in Pleasure occasions comes right down to authenticity. The survey exhibits that 39-46% of customers throughout markets would like to see Pleasure Month participation solely from manufacturers that genuinely help LGBTQ+ rights.

There’s fairly a transparent divide between what is taken into account genuine and what’s thought of performative model conduct. Folks see year-round help (25-32%), donations tied to LGBTQ+ organizations (17-22%), and public advocacy (15-20%) as the most effective indicators of real look after the neighborhood’s points. 

However, behaviors resembling altering logos to rainbow colours for a month (25-32%), promoting Pleasure-themed merchandise with none charitable donations (24-29%), and total participation solely when worthwhile or politically protected (27-31%) are thought of most inauthentic. 

“Customers are so extremely savvy and are so extremely conscious. Manufacturers that change their standpoint and values based mostly on macro, financial, and/or political environments are those which can be going to look essentially the most performative and stand the prospect of dropping essentially the most client affinity,” says Kaitlyn Barkley, Information Director at Do the Werq, in a Advertising and marketing Dive interview.

Whereas liking the design is the commonest motive (47% within the US, 47% within the UK, 45% in Canada, and 51% in Australia) for purchasing Pleasure-related merchandise, the perceived sincerity of a model’s help for the LGBTQ+ neighborhood additionally influences shopping for selections.

For instance, 27% of People, 26% of Brits, 25% of Canadians, and 21% of Australians say that they purchased Pleasure-themed merchandise as a result of proceeds supported LGBTQ+ causes. Marty Bauer urges firms to remember the fact that performative help may even have an reverse impact. 

“What retailers can take away from this information isn’t restricted to Pleasure Month. Customers are getting higher at recognizing when a advertising and marketing marketing campaign is disconnected from how an organization really operates. Folks don’t anticipate each model to make daring political statements, however what they do anticipate is that messaging and firm conduct really feel actual quite than reactive,” he says. 

What this implies for manufacturers

The info we collected factors to a transparent takeaway: customers haven’t misplaced curiosity in Pleasure. What’s modified is that they’ve simply gotten higher at distinguishing between manufacturers that imply it and those who don’t. 

Scaling again participation could really feel just like the safer transfer in right this moment’s local weather, but it surely doesn’t go unnoticed, particularly by youthful and LGBTQ+ customers who pay the closest consideration.

The manufacturers that come out forward are those whose Pleasure Month actions match what they do the remainder of the yr. Altering your emblem to rainbow colours for June with none year-round help, donations, or advocacy is strictly the form of disconnect customers at the moment are accustomed to recognizing immediately. 

So don’t concentrate on huge Pleasure Month campaigns. Give attention to consistency year-round.

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