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NORC at the University Chicago

Sampling Strategies & Measure Development for the LGBT Aging Project

Senior gay couple on the beach
Honing methods and strategies to recruit and survey a nationally representative sample of older LGBT adults
  • Client
    National Institute on Aging
  • Dates
    September 2021 – May 2025

Problem

The U.S. lacks nationally representative health and aging data on older LGBT adults. 

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population has poorer health than their non-LGBT counterparts, but the causes and consequences of this inequity are not fully understood. In particular, we know less about older LGBT adults, even though they are the most likely to be living with chronic disease and disability. Existing studies of health and aging include sexual and gender minorities in their samples, but their sample sizes are not adequate to obtain reliable estimates for this subgroup or to study its unique characteristics. Even research that focused specifically on older LGBT adults did not capture a nationally representative sample of LGBT adults.

Solution

NORC piloted methods to survey a nationally representative sample of older LGBT adults. 

Our groundbreaking pilot study, Sampling Strategies and Measure Development for the LGBT Aging Project (SAMLAP), yielded substantive and methodological products for surveying older LGBT adults. The team conducted two screening phases that identified eligible members of this population. Next, we administered a 25-minute questionnaire to 225 of 364 eligible respondents. Our questionnaire asked about the respondent’s physical and mental health, family and social networks, sexual activity, connections to the LGBT community, and demographics.

SAMLAP also developed and assessed a tailored sampling methodology, screening process, set of measures, and field approach to conduct the first U.S. national study of older LGBT adults using an address-based probability sample with a high response rate. 

Result

Researchers now have proven methods for surveying a national sample of older LBGT adults.

Our methodological products and findings will help future researchers conduct studies and inform policies and practices that affect the well-being of older LGBT adults. Our findings provide insight into response rate and composition, the cost-benefit tradeoffs of different mailing incentives, and the use of targeted advance letters among other recruitment strategies.

Our substantive findings will illuminate the impact of sexual identity on the aging process.They will include results from analyses of SAMLAP data on its own and combined with other datasets, such as NORC’s National Social Life, Health & Aging Project (NSHAP). Combining datasets with NSHAP, for example, allows researchers to examine the differences in social characteristics and health status by sexual identity among older adults.

Project Leads

Key Project Staff

Ilan Meyers
Co-Investigator

Kristen Schilt
Co-Investigator

Phil Schumm
Co-Investigator

Kelly Pudelek
Project Manager

Data & Findings

Azar, A, Becares, L, Kneale, D. Sexual orientation and aging: A US-England comparative study of same-sex and different-sex households. Presented at the GSA 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting, Seattle, Washington, November 13-16, 2024.

English, N, LeFauve, K, Schumm, P, Meyer, I, Marlar, J, Willcoxson, N, Bassel, N, Lin, J, O’Muircheartaigh, C. Experiments on response rate and response composition in recruiting a national probability sample of the older LGBT population. Presented at the AAPOR 78th Annual Conference, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, May 10-12, 2023.

English, N, LeFauve, K, Schumm, P, O’Muircheartaigh, C. Designing a strategy to recruit a representative sample of the older LGBT population in the United States. Presented at the European Survey Research Association (ESRA) Conference, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy, July 17-21, 2023.

Johns, M, Zhong, S, Iveniuk, J, Schilt, K. Differences in social characteristics and health status by sexual identity among older adults: Comparison of two cohorts. Presented at the GSA 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting, Seattle, Washington, November 13-16, 2024.

Johns, M, Iveniuk, J. Differences in health and wellbeing by sexual identity among older adults. Presented at the AAPOR 79th Annual Conference, Hilton Atlanta, May 15-17, 2024.

LeFauve, K, English, N, Kapousouz, E, Madison, H, Lin, J, Schumm, P, Meyer, I, O’Muircheartaigh, C. The cost-benefit tradeoffs of different mailing and incentive sequences in a mail survey. Presented at the AAPOR 79th Annual Conference, Hilton Atlanta, May 15-17, 2024.

LeFauve, K, Schumm, P, English, N, Meyer, I, Marlar, J, Willcoxon, N, Madison, H, O’Muircheartaigh, C. Targeted Advance Letters to Identify Underrepresented Populations. Presented at the AAPOR 78th Annual Conference, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, May 10-12, 2023.

Meyer, M, Bouton, L, Lauderdale, DS. Mental and physical health conditions limiting activities in a national sample of older LGBT adults. Presented at the GSA 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting, Seattle, Washington, November 13-16, 2024.

Meyer, I, Madison, H, LeFauve, K, Bouton, L, English, N, Schumm, P, O’Muircheartaigh, C. Affiliation and participation in LGBT communities in a national probability sample of older adults. Presented at the AAPOR 79th Annual Conference, Hilton Atlanta, May 15-17, 2024.

Meyer, I, Schumm, P, LeFauve, K, English, N, Hoyer, C, O’Muircheartaigh, C. Identifying LGBT older adults through a household roster in a national probability sample. Presented at the AAPOR 78th Annual Conference, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, May 10-12, 2023.

O’Muircheartaigh, C, English, N, LeFauve, K, Malpica, A, Meyer, I, Schumm, P. Tailoring a sample design: Designing a sample to test recruitment strategies for national sample of the older LGBT population. Presented at the AAPOR 78th Annual Conference, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, May 10-12, 2023.

Schilt, K, Johns, MM. How does sexual identity impact the aging process? A comparison across nationally representative samples. Presented at the Center for Research on Inequity and Health Seminar, Vanderbilt University, April 3, 2024.

Schumm, P, O’Muircheartaigh, C. Testing a recruitment strategy for a national sample of older LGBT adults. Presented at the GSA 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting, Seattle, Washington, November 13-16, 2024.

Waite, LJ, Liu, Hui. Studying LGBT older adults. Symposium held at the GSA 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting, Seattle, Washington, November 13-16, 2024.

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