JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Periodic surveys of sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations have been an essential tool for monitoring and investigating health inequities. Recent legislative efforts to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ have introduced the need to adapt youth surveys to reach a wider range of SGM, including those <18 years of age and those who may not adopt an explicit Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (2S/LGBTQ) identity.

Objective:

To share our experiences in recruiting SGM youth through multiple in-person and online channels and to share lessons learned for future researchers.

Methods:

The UnACoRN (Understanding Affirming Communities, Relationships, and Networks) Survey collected anonymous data in English and French from 9,679 people (mostly SGM). Respondents were recruited Mar-Aug 2022 using word-of-mouth referrals, leaflet distribution, and buses advertisements with paid and unpaid campaigns on social media and a pornography website. We analyzed the metadata provided by these and other online resources we used for recruitment (e.g., Bitly, Qualtrics) and provided an overview of the campaign effectiveness by recruitment venue by calculating the cost per completed survey and other secondary metrics.

Results:

Most participants were recruited through Meta (83.2%), mainly through Instagram. 88.96% of our sample reached the survey through paid advertisements. Overall, the cost per survey was lower for Meta than Pornhub or the bus ads. Similarly, the proportion of visitors who started the survey was higher for Meta (46.70%) than Pornhub (1.02%).

Conclusions:

Researchers using online recruitment strategies should be aware of the differences in campaign management each website or social media platform offers and be prepared to engage with their framing (content selection and delivery) to correct any imbalances derived from it. Those who focus on SGM should consider how 2S/LGBTQ-oriented campaigns might deter participation from cis-het people or SGM not identifying as 2S/LGBTQ, if relevant to their research design. Finally, those with limited resources may select fewer venues with a lower cost per completed survey or those that appeal more to their specific audience, if needed.