Study about goths' relationship to non-goth music

I've been goth for 11 years, and I'm very passionate about goth music. But I'm also as goth as metalhead, and I'm very passionate about many different music genres. For a long time, I wondered if it was the case for other goths too.

So a month ago, I launched a study concerning goth people's relashionship to non-goth music.

This is not done professionally, and I don't claim to be goth music expert - I believe no one can be. I am just passionate about the goth culture, and I'm a curious person (and I really enjoy doing surveys haha).

I did get a few negative comments, saying this was "silly", "not nuanced" or "unreliable", but overall response to this was clearly mainly positive, so thanks a lot! Once again, this is not meant to be profesionnal. Just pure curiosity on a small scale, made by a random goth and not by an employee at a statistics agency.

This study got 299 entries, thank you very much! I read all of them, one by one, and some of the answers were pretty much basic (which is obviously okay), while some of them were very detailed, which made it very interesting for me!

Now, let's check the results!

Study about goths' relationship to non-goth music

Results

→ In this study, "goth music" includes: post-punk, goth rock, coldwave, darkwave, minimal synthwave, dark electro / aggrotech and other music genres that might gravitate around or blend into the ones mentioned, within reason.

→ In this study, "non-goth music" includes: metal (any kind of it), rock, pop-rock, electro, dubstep, classical and neo-classical, pagan folk, visual kei, rap, pop, rnb, reggae...

- Countries: USA (48,1%), UK (15,3%), France (5,6%), Australie (4,6%), Canada (4,3%), Germany (4,5%). Western Europe : 6,3%. Northern Europe : 3%. Eastern Europe : 3,3%. Latin America : 2,6%. Asia : 1,3%. Oceania : 1,3%. Russia and South Africa : 0,3%.

- Gender: 58,9% female, 34,8% male, 6,4% other

- Average age: 32,5

- Average time being goth: 15,5 years

What are your favourite non-goth music genres?

Top 10

Metal, rock, pop, punk, classical, folk, indie, new wave, hip hop, trip hop

What are your favourite non-goth music artists and bands? 

Top 10, with some being on the same spot

David Bowie
Lady GaGa
Queen
Metallica
The Beatles, Nightwish, Pink Floyd, Marilyn Manson
Led Zeppelin, My Chemical Romance, Black Sabbath, Eminem
Michael Jackson, Rammstein, Cradle of Filth
Lana del Rey, Korn, Sabaton
Within Temptation, Madonna, Rob Zombie, Portishead, Iron Maiden
Wardruna, Guns n Roses, Nirvana, Melanie Martinez, Evanescence


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A few messages the participants left me and that I think to be interesting and very well said:

"I hope goths are open to more music. Goth is rightfully protective of it's customs, but as a result, it can look quite small mined, in the box, and ignorant, as well as discriminatory of similar or varying kinds of fashions and music genres.
I think as a community of discriminated people in general society, we should be more understanding and appreciating of a lot more things, even though we don't participate or favor those sorts of things"


"Be confident in who you are and what you like! It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks".

"I think some people get too hung up on the scene to the exclusion of other great music because they are afraid to be labeled a "poser", but hopefully they outgrow that mindset".

"People are always surprised at my taste and feel they can't pin me down, however this just feels natural to me".

"I think people should listen to what they want. A country music fan doesn’t usually listen to JUST country. So I see no problems with enjoying non-goth music as well as goth music. I’ve seen plenty of people say that makes you not goth or else say that you basically have to have a percentage of goth to not goth, and that’s just dumb. Life is short. Do what you want, so long as it’s not wrong or hurting anyone. Listen to that music. Where them funky outfits. Let the elitists take their judgemental butts elsewhere".

"It's pointless to limit oneself to an enjoyment of only one genre of music so as to feel that one is not conforming. Goth is about self expression, and you shouldn't be able to only able to express yourself within the "acceptable boundaries" deemed by your peers".

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And that's it! I hope you enjoyed reading these results, and once again, thank you for having participated!

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Just in case you're curious about my own answers:

- I listen to non-goth music on a daily basis.
- I am not ashamed to admit it, be it to non-goths, to other goths or to myself.

- I love both goth and non-goth concerts, I don't favour either of them.
- I definitely favour goth parties though. I can't imagine myself clubbing to anything else.
- Goth or non goth merch, I don't care, I love both.

- If a goth would tell me they listen to this or that non-goth music, I would either be posivitely neutral or be excited if it's something we have in common.

- My favourite non-goth music genres include: metal (death, folk, black, doom, gothic, symphonic), pagan folk, soundtracks, a bit of dubstep and artists whom I love but whom I don't listen to their genre in itself

- My favourite non-goth music artists include (not including metal and soundtracks as it would make the list endless): Lana del Rey, Ison, Michael Malarkey, Fever Ray, Eivor, Indochine, t.A.T.u, Julien Doré, Wardruna, Heilung, New Order...

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The end!