#fandom demographics

[ao3demographicssurvey2024]

The AO3 Demographics Survey 2024 was an unofficial demographics survey of 16,131 AO3 users conducted in January 2024. We have just finished posting our initial results, so here is just a taste of the graphs and data you can check out now over on AO3!

The anonymised dataset from this survey is now available for researchers.

A full list of the survey questions with links to the relevant data is below the cut!

Demographics

How old are you?

Do you identify as LGBTQ+ in any form?

What is your gender identity?

Do you identify as any of the following? (LGBTQ+ related identities)

What is your sexual orientation?

What is your romantic orientation?

What is your race?

Is English your native language?

Which geographic region best describes your current place of residence?

Which religious or spiritual tradition(s) do you believe?

Do you experience the following? (Disability, Neurodivergence, and Health Conditions)

Usage of AO3

Which of the following AO3 activities have you done in the last twelve months?

How frequently do you use the following methods to find works on AO3?

In a typical week, how long do you spend on AO3 or reading downloaded AO3 works?

When did you begin using AO3, with or without an account?

When did you create your first AO3 account?

What languages do you use for reading and posting on AO3?

Works You Post On AO3

Which of the following types of works do you post on AO3? (Media)

Of the works you post on AO3, how often do you post works with the following ratings?

Of the works you post on AO3, how often do you post works focused on the following types of relationships?

Of the works you post on AO3, how often do you post works in the following genres/tags?

Of the works you post on AO3, how often do you post the following types of works? (Format & Miscellaneous)

Works You Consume On AO3

Which of the following types of works do you consume on AO3? (Media)

How much do you enjoy works with the following ratings on AO3?

How much do you enjoy works focused on the following types of relationships on AO3?

How much do you enjoy works in the following genres/tags on AO3?

How much do you enjoy the following types of works on AO3? (Format & Miscellaneous)

Fandom Beyond AO3

Which of the following types of fanworks have you consumed in the last year?

Which of the following types of fandom activity have you done in the last year?

Which of the following websites or apps do you currently use for fandom activities at least once a month?

Which of the following websites or apps have you previously used for fandom activities, but no longer regularly use?

When did you first begin participating in fandom?

How many fandoms have you considered yourself a part of in the last five years?

Which of the following types of media do you participate in fandoms for?

[destinationtoast]

Bluesky & fandom education data

I'm on bsky now. I'm mildly active on Bluesky now (or "bisky" as I say it in my head thanks to the urls) at destinationtoast.bsky.social. Mostly meaning I'll be crossposting my more major fandom stats there and responding to being tagged, as I used to do on Twitter.

How educated is fandom? I just got tagged in a thread asking if I knew of any data about fandom education levels:

#FanStudies folks, I'm looking for information on educational attainment in fandom, particularly adult fans (≥25 yo). I've been through the Ao3 2013 & 2024 surveys; Fansplaining 2019 shipping & Overflow survey. No ?. I know acafans are a thing, but not numbers. Any suggestions?

— Justine Debelius (@jwoodelius.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 12:14 PM

I don't know any relevant research. If you do, please share!

For the heck of it, let's run an unscientific poll here, because everyone loves polls. Sorry for any US-centric terminology; I modified the categories from the US census but tried to internationalize.

Fans 25 or older: what's the highest level of education you have completed?

Less than high school / upper secondary education

High school / upper secondary education (including GED)

Some college or post-secondary education (no degree)

Associate's degree (~2 year)

Bachelor's degree (~4 year)

Master's degree

Professional degree (JD, MD)

Doctoral degree (PhD)

Other post-college degree or certification

Something else that none of these options capture

Under 25 / show answers

Voting ended onDec 9, 2024

(For those of you currently working on degrees, I salute you and wish you the best! 🫡 )

[tolkien-fanfiction-survey]

Saturday Data! "Fanfic Is Female" WAS Canon

When I first became interested in fanfiction studies, I would hear the statement a lot that “90% of fanfiction is written by women.” The closest I’ve been able to track down a citation for this statistic was an article by Johana Cantor in a 1980 Star Trek fanzine that states that 90% of (presumably Trek) fanfiction is written by women.

So when the data for the 2015 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey became available, I was kinda stoked when it confirmed this oft-quoted fact: 89% of participants in that survey identified as female. In 2013, CentrumLumina’s AO3 Census had similarly confirmed that “90% female” was canon.

Subsequent Tolkien Fanfiction Surveys show, however, that while this likely was canon for many decades, it is changing. In 2020, the number of female participants dropped to 74%, and in 2025, it dropped again to 65%.

Does this mean that more dudes are reading and writing Tolkien-based fanfiction? Nope! It means more nonbinary folks are!

Here are the corresponding data for nonbinary participants:

2015: 6% nonbinary

2020: 15% nonbinary

2025: 22% nonbinary

The number of men involved with Tolkien-based fanfiction, in contrast, has remained relatively steady: 4%, 6%, and 4% in 2015, 2020, and 2025, respectively.

This is the biggest demographic shift I’ve been able to document so far for the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey. While most demographic data stays relatively steady over the years, this change is dramatic in comparison. Is the explanation that more nonbinary people feel interested and welcome in Tolkien fandom? Or were people more able in 2025 to be open about their nonbinary identity?

[dnpdemographics]

What Questions Should the DNP Demographics Survey Have?

Before the actual survey comes out, what questions should be asked? Is there a type of wording that should be taken into consideration? Is t

Before I publish and make the actual demographics survey, I wanted some feedback to what questions I should ask and how I should ask them. I will probably keep this open for a week or so to see how far this will go.

[young-royals-confessions]

Young Royals Tumblr: Where do you live?

Africa

Asia

Central America

Europe

North America

Oceania

South America

Not a Young Royals fan

Voting ended onOct 22, 2025

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

This poll is 100% out of curiosity:

dbda fans: are any of yall cishet?

im not and haven't met any

im not, but ive met some

i am! (power to you i hope youre having a good day)

see results

Voting ended onJul 25, 2025

[i-put-the-aroace-in-outerspace]

So, I made this poll a while ago, shared it on instagram and my fic end notes first, it’s collecting data about the TMA fandom, so if you could answer it, reblog this, share the link, that would be really helpful and great!

It’s completely anonymous, and no questions are required, even completing just a few would be great! Feel free to make your own posts about it, I just want this poll shared around.

The Magnus Archives fandom demographics, headcanons, relatability, etc.

Header image cropped from "tape-black" by Rusty Quill. [ID: Green text on a black background, reading "Statement begins..." /End ID]

[y2keiji]

hiii bffs i am working on a video essay about parasocial relationships and if they influence the way we interact with fandom and shipping 🙏

would be very fun and cool if you would help an insane person (me) with this :3

Parasocial Relationships and Fandom

Parasocial Relationships and Fandom