Demographic characteristics of study participants
| Characteristic | No. (%) of participants* | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative strand n = 54 | Qualitative strand n = 17† | Overall sample n = 71 | |
| Mean age (range), yr | 25.6** (18–29) | 25.7 (19–29) | 20.9 (18–29) |
| Mean age at first sex work involvement (range), yr | 19.8†† (9–28) | 20.4†† (15–27) | 19.9 (9–28) |
| Currently involved in sex work | |||
| Yes | 33 (61) | 14 (82) | 47 (66) |
| No | 21 (39) | 2 (12) | 23 (32) |
| No response | 0 (0) | 1 (6) | 1 (1) |
| Racial/ethnic identity‡ | |||
| White | 32 (59) | 15 (88) | 47 (66) |
| Indigenous | 5 (9) | 1 (6) | 6 (8) |
| Black | 4 (7) | 0 (0) | 4 (6) |
| Other§ | 9 (17) | 1 (6) | 10 (14) |
| No response | 10 (18) | 0 (0) | 10 (14) |
| Gender identity‡ | |||
| Woman/female | 32 (59) | 15 (88) | 47 (66) |
| Nonbinary identity | 11 (20) | 0 (0) | 11 (15) |
| Genderfluid/genderqueer | 3 (6) | 1 (6) | 4 (6) |
| Trans | 3 (6) | 0 (0) | 3 (4) |
| Two-spirit | 2 (4) | 0 (0) | 2 (3) |
| Male | 1 (2) | 1 (6) | 2 (3) |
| Femme | 1 (2) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) |
| No response | 9 (17) | 0 (0) | 9 (13) |
| Sexual identity‡ | |||
| Queer | 17 (31) | 7 (41) | 24 (34) |
| Bisexual | 15 (28) | 5 (29) | 20 (28) |
| Straight/heterosexual | 9 (17) | 4 (24) | 13 (18) |
| Pansexual | 9 (17) | 1 (6) | 10 (14) |
| Questioning | 3 (6) | 0 (0) | 3 (4) |
| Two-spirit | 2 (4) | 1 (6) | 3 (4) |
| Other¶ | 11 (20) | 0 (0) | 11 (15) |
| No response | 9 (17) | 0 (0) | 9 (13) |
| Sex work experience‡ | |||
| Agency escort | 25 (46) | 7 (41) | 32 (45) |
| Fetish | 14 (26) | 4 (24) | 18 (25) |
| Independent escort | 35 (65) | 8 (47) | 43 (61) |
| Massage parlour attendant | 10 (18) | 1 (6) | 11 (15) |
| Outdoor worker | 2 (4) | 1 (6) | 3 (4) |
| Pornography actor | 12 (22) | 4 (24) | 16 (22) |
| Stripper/exotic dancer | 6 (11) | 4 (24) | 10 (14) |
| Sugar baby | 17 (31) | 12 (71) | 29 (41) |
| Survival sex | 11 (20) | 5 (29) | 16 (22) |
| Webcam host | 22 (41) | 5 (29) | 27 (38) |
| Other | 1 (2) | 1 (6) | 2 (3) |
↵* Except where noted otherwise.
↵† Includes 3 participants who completed individual interviews and 14 participants who completed focus groups.
↵‡ Participants could check more than 1 option.
↵§ Includes Arab, East Asian, South Asian, mixed race and Latin American.
↵¶ Includes demisexual, gay, lesbian, woman who has sex with women and other sexual identity (no details provided).
↵** Twelve participants did not provide data on this variable, although all answered the eligibility question indicating they were aged 18–29 years.
↵†† One participant did not provide data on this variable.