From late August to the end of December 2023, SAAA circulated a survey across Alberta. This survey was designed to target asexual, aromantic, and other a-spec identified individuals living in Alberta. While our society has run smaller surveys in previous years, this was the first survey we issued on a provincial scale. It was circulated to our membership, our online communities, and more than 50 organizations across the province.
At our 2024 AGM (held on May 5, 2024) a summary of results was shared with our membership. Here are some of the data points:
93% of respondents identify on the asexual spectrum (3% are questioning), while 44% identify on the aromantic spectrum (19% are questioning).
45% of respondents identify as Transgender or Non-Binary. 43% of these are not “out” to their immediate family members about their gender identity.
88% of asexuals are “out” to most or all of their current partners, and 73% of them feel their partners respect their asexual identity. In contrast, 63% of aromantics are “out” to current partners, 75% of whom feel their aromantic identity is respected.
54% of respondents spend more than 30% of their income on housing (30% is the amount recommended by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation). That number jumps to 65% if we remove people living with their parents.
Over 50% of respondents feel unwelcome, unsure if they are welcome, or only partially welcome in queer spaces that are not aimed specifically at a-specs. 9% reported they do not attempt to engage in queer spaces due to anxiety over how their a-spec identity will be received.
About ⅓ of respondents are “out” to healthcare providers about their a-spec identity, of whom, over 50% feel their identity is not understood or respected. Responses from healthcare providers included being told that their identity was a phase (58%), was related to physical illness (29%), and/or was related to mental illness (33%). Several individuals reported having prescriptions withheld and/or being referred to conversion therapy services.
Data from this survey has already proved invaluable as members of our Board have met with politicians, medical professionals, and others.
A formal report is currently in the works. It will not be published immediately, as we plan to do a second round of provincial surveying to provide more comparative data, however the report will be published on our website once complete.
SAAA plans to issue a second round of the survey in the fall of 2024. It will be circulated to even more organizations than in 2023, in an effort to reach a larger population and receive more responses. Following this, we plan to issue a national survey in 2025, which will be the first Canada-wide survey to focus on the a-spec community & issues.
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