DOI: 10.3886/e201944v1
title: Social Identities in the 21st Century

description: These
data were gathered with a grant from the National Science Foundation to Barbara
J. Risman and William Scarborough, Social Identities in the 21st
Century. The data were based on
life-history narratives in the form of in-depth, semi-structured interviews
with 123 adults aged 18 and over who identify as non-binary in Midwest, West
Coast, and Southern metropolitan areas. The research team used several methods
to recruit participants including drawing on personal networks, connecting with
LGBTQIA+ organizations at local college campuses to share information through
their social media networks and at meetings, and utilizing social media,
including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), to inform the larger public about
the study. Additional respondents were
identified using snowball sampling to identify potential new participants from
those who already participated. Our data collection was based on a broad conceptualization of non-binary
identity with anyone who identified as
between, outside, or beyond the binary eligible to participate. The 
identity labels that were included in recruitment materials included
non-binary, genderqueer, agender, or any gender beyond the binary of man or woman.
description: The research team used several methods to recruit participants including
drawing on personal networks, connecting with LGBTQIA+ organizations at local
college campuses to share information through their social media networks and
at meetings, and utilizing social media, including Facebook and X (formerly
Twitter), to inform the larger public about the study. Additional respondents were identified using
snowball sampling to identify potential new participants from those who already
participated. Our data collection was based on a broad conceptualization of non-binary
identity with anyone who identified as
between, outside, or beyond the binary eligible to participate. The 
identity labels that were included in recruitment materials included
non-binary, genderqueer, agender, or any gender beyond the binary of man or woman.
description: Our data include 123
respondents with gender identities that were not binary woman/man and whose age ranged from 18 to 50 years old, with the average
respondent being almost 29 years old. They identified with diverse
race/ethnicities including white (75), Black (16), Hispanic/Latinx (12), Asian
(5), Multiracial (11), and indigenous (3) (one respondent chose not to share
their racial identity). A number of gender identities are also represented in
this sample, including participants who identify as non-binary, agender, and
gender fluid, along with others who identify with various terms including
two-spirit and genderqueer.  .
description: face-to-face interview; Data
collection began in fall of 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. As
such, most of the interviews were conducted outside, masked and socially
distanced; 17 interviews were conducted by Zoom because one university’s IRB
required this option for respondents. Our interviews began in the Midwest and
lasted from fall 2020 to spring 2021. In the South, interviews took place
during the winter of 2021, and in the West during summer and fall of 2021. All
interviews were recorded and transcribed. Each interviewer also wrote
fieldnotes with a reflexivity statement about the interview and attached those
to the transcripts for incorporation into our data analysis. All transcripts
are anonymous with only fictitious names used.