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Should brands and organizations be running from DEI initiatives and efforts to promote the visibility of groups including LGBTQ+ audiences? Not necessarily, according to a new report from ad measurement provider DISQO and Do The WeRQ, a platform that focuses on increasing LGBTQ+ representation in the marketing and advertising industries.
“2025 LGBTQ+ Advertising: Marketing in the quiet age of DEI” asked 1,955 adults for their opinions on DEI efforts as well as the attempts made by brands to increase LGBTQ+ visibility.
The report’s first big takeaway is that many people are not clear about what exactly is meant by DEI, and what its effects really are. Fewer than half of those surveyed (46 percent) could correctly identify what all three of the letters in “DEI” stand for, and 28 percent could not identify even one of the letters.
There was also a degree of confusion about the intent of DEI programs and who those programs are meant to benefit. Almost a fifth of respondents (18 percent) think that DEI exists to establish quotas or promote political or social agendas.
In addition, many respondents believe that DEI efforts only benefit a narrow range of groups. While 62 percent said that DEI benefits racial and ethnic minorities, and 56 percent thought they help LGBTQ+ people, only 13 percent thought that those efforts encompass a far wider group that includes people with disabilities, older people and parents & caregivers.
There is also a lot of skepticism about the intent of DEI initiatives. Less than a third (32 percent) of those surveyed said that companies supporting such efforts “really care.” Almost as many (30 percent) say that those brands are “mainly concerned with public image and marketing” and 11 percent think they are just responding to pressure from the public and their employees.
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But that doesn’t mean people think companies should give up on DEI. 35 percent of respondents said that brands should speak up both internally and externally, with another 10 percent supporting internal-only involvement and 17 percent approving of such efforts as long as they are relevant to the brand. That far outweighs the 28 percent who give DEI initiatives a thumbs down.
The study also warns brands of the possible negative effects of rolling back DEI efforts. More than four in 10 respondents (41 percent) said their trust in a brand declines when that brand rolls back DEI commitments. About the same number (39 percent) said that they had already changed their purchasing behavior due to DEI rollbacks.
When it comes the role that brands can have in increasing LGBTQ+ representation, many of those surveyed thought brands have an opportunity, and responsibility, to take a stand. More than half (56 percent) say that brands influence how society perceived LGBTQ+ people.
The study says that while LGBTQ+ visibility in ads is down 15 percentage points since 2023, almost seven in 10 (68 percent) want to see either the same level or representation or more representation.
LGBTQ+ people surveyed also said that they want representation at all levels of a brand’s communications, not just in the casting of its ads. 87 percent of them thought brands should integrate representation through all levels of their communications—including creators, strategists and storytellers.
The DISQO/Do the Work survey was conducted between April 15 and 19.
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