6.1 Prevalence

Given the importance attributed to artwork within the fandom and the popularity of art/artist websites within the community,1 we wanted to know what percentage of furries considered themselves to be artists and writers. We asked participants to indicate, on a 7-point scale, the extent to which they considered themselves to be an artist and a writer (1 = absolutely not to 7 = very much.)2

The table below shows that about 35% of the fandom does not identify as either artists or writers, while another 25% or so strongly identify as artists or writers.

To test whether these rates of content creators in the furry fandom differed from other fandoms, we asked the same questions to convention-going (A-Kon) and online anime fans, as well as fantasy sport fans (see figures below). Given that the furry fandom is a predominantly visual art fandom, and given that the fandom’s content centers on independent artists (as opposed to large studios), it is unsurprising that furries were the group most strongly self-identifying as artists, a distinction that seems to be unique to visual art, as furries were not the fandom most likely to self-identify as writers.3

References

  1. See sections 2.3 Fandom Activities; 2.4 Popular Artists/Websites; 2.5 Furry Media Owned
  2. International Furry Survey: Summer 2011
  3. IARP 2014 3-fandom study

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