What a Questionnaire Survey Tells Us About the “Reality” of Sexual and Gender Minorities and Their Family Relationships

Abstract

    When conducting a questionnaire survey, researchers determine the range and types of response options on the questionnaire from which survey participants need to choose when reporting their experiences; thus, what experiences participants can report and in what way depends on the assumptions researchers hold about the experiences of the participants, which affects the structure and contents of the questionnaire. Pointing to this nature of questionnaire surveys, I discuss how we should interpret the “reality” of sexual and gender minorities and their family relationships captured and presented using this type of method, including the findings offered by the four panelists in the symposium.