Health survey gives government its first large-scale data on gay, bisexual population

[snooper2]

Less than 3 percent of the U.S. population identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday in the first large-scale government survey measuring Americans’ sexual orientation.

The National Health Interview Survey, which is the government’s premier tool for annually assessing Americans’ health and behaviors, found that 1.6 percent of adults self-identify as gay or lesbian, and 0.7 percent consider themselves bisexual.

The overwhelming majority of adults, 96.6 percent, labeled themselves as straight in the 2013 survey. An additional 1.1 percent declined to answer, responded “I don’t know the answer” or said they were “something else.”

The figures offered a slightly smaller assessment of the size of the gay, lesbian and bisexual population than other surveys, which have pegged the overall proportion at closer to 3.5 or 4 percent. In particular, the estimate for bisexuals was lower than in some other surveys.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/health-survey-gives-government-its-first-large-scale-data-on-gay-bisexual-population/2014/07/14/2db9f4b0-092f-11e4-bbf1-cc51275e7f8f_story.html


Who would answer- "I don't know the answer"

[dsc]

1. anyone who didn't want to say

but weren't given that option.

[PoliticAverse]

3. They had the option to not say, those apparently were included in the 1.1%...

An additional 1.1 percent declined to answer, responded “I don’t know the answer” or said they were “something else.”

[marmar]

2. 'Self-identify' is the key phrase here ..........

....... I know quite a few people who have sex with others of the same sex, but identify themselves as straight. It's like they can't accept being labeled bisexual, even though they are.

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. À lot of therapists see this in their practices, in fact

very religious people who are having issues reconciling their sexuality and their religious upbringing, denying that they're gay, or bisexual, etc. I'm not talking about "ex-gay therapy", either; more about things like this: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/magazine/therapists-who-help-people-stay-in-the-closet.html?pagewanted=all