What Percentage of the Population Is Gay?

[natina]

In his 1948 book, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, Alfred Kinsey shocked the world by announcing that 10% of the male population is gay. A 1993 Janus Report estimated that nine percent of men and five percent of women had more than "occasional" homosexual relationships. The 2000 U.S. Census Bureau found that homosexual couples constitute less than 1% of American households. The Family Research Report says "around 2-3% of men, and 2% of women, are homosexual or bisexual." The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force estimates three to eight percent of both sexes. So who's right -- what percentage of the population is homosexual?
It may be that no one will ever know for sure. To some people, homosexuality is a matter of perception and definition. Furthermore, many people have trouble admitting their homosexuality to themselves, much less to a researcher. But when Gallup asked Americans for their best estimate of the American gay and lesbian population, the results made all the figures mentioned above look conservative.
Every Fifth Person -- at Least
In August 2002*, Gallup asked Americans, in an open-ended format, to estimate the percentage of American men and the percentage of American women who are homosexual. The average estimates were that 21% of men are gay and 22% of women are lesbians. In fact, roughly a quarter of the public thinks more than 25% of men and 25% of women are homosexual. It should be pointed out, too, that many Americans (at least one in six) could not give an estimate.
Male respondents tend to give lower estimates of both the male and female homosexual population than female respondents do. The average estimates among male respondents are that 16% of men and 21% of women are homosexual. Among female respondents, the average estimates are that 26% of men and 23% of women are homosexual. Somewhat interestingly, both sexes believe there are more homosexuals in the opposite sex than in their own sex.
Portrayals in Pop Culture
Before the 1980s, the few representations of homosexuality in popular culture tended to consist of potentially dangerous social deviants (think Norman Bates in Psycho). Since then, however, the portrayal of gay characters in pop culture have become far more numerous and mostly positive. That growing representation may have spurred growing acceptance -- and inflated population estimates. In the last 10 years, the number of Americans saying they feel homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle has gone from 38% (June 1992) to 51% (May 2002).
"Seeing ourselves reflected positively encourages gay people to come out," said Cathy Renna, news media director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "And when people know real gay men and lesbians it increases their level of understanding and acceptance." If you doubt that Ellen, Rosie and others have had an effect on Americans' acceptance of homosexuality, consider this -- MTV and Showtime are about to launch a cable channel directed at the homosexual market. They estimate that gays and lesbians make up 6.5% of television's audience.
Key Points
Whether increased acceptance of homosexuality has led to an upsurge in the number of positive media portrayals of gay characters or vice versa, one result seems to be that Americans now tend to overestimate the gay population in America. While most expert estimates place America's homosexual population at 10% or less, Americans tend to guess that the number is higher, around 20%.
*Results based on telephone interviews with 489 (for those estimating percentages of lesbian women) and 518 (for those estimating percentages of gay men) conducted May 6-9, 2002. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±5%.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/6961/what-percentage-population-gay.aspx

[hngs]

Probably .5 to 1 % maximum. Absolutely not more than that.

[freedom]

sorry hngs, definitely more then that. Critical factor is where do you class the "in-betweens"...

I've shagged a lot more girls than boys, so am i gay? I would say no but i don't say i'm entirely hetero either. Fact is there is a large contingent of us who prefer girls (or in my case TS) who will also shag boys in the right circumstances.

Sexuality is a continuum not a couple of boxes... and we are definitely more than 1%

[Dino Velvet]

What group are we lumped into?

[danthepoetman]

I have to agree with Freedom.
What was mostly interesting with the Kinsey report that remains very relevant to this day, in my opinion, is all of what he included in the middle, in between hetero and homo sexuality. He created a scale in which he integrated every one who had even just fantasies in one or the other tendency. Also people who had only a few experiences in their youth, or a few after adulthood, those who had experiences from time to time, etc. He found out that even as adults, 37% of men, for example, had achieve an orgasm in contact with another man, which seems enormous if you think we’re talking about the more repressed late 40s-early 50s. Here’s the scale, which would tend to show, in my opinion, that labels are more and more meaningless.

[onmyknees]

in his 1948 book, sexual behavior in the human male, alfred kinsey shocked the world by announcing that 10% of the male population is gay. A 1993 janus report estimated that nine percent of men and five percent of women had more than "occasional" homosexual relationships. The 2000 u.s. Census bureau found that homosexual couples constitute less than 1% of american households. The family research report says "around 2-3% of men, and 2% of women, are homosexual or bisexual." the national gay and lesbian task force estimates three to eight percent of both sexes. So who's right -- what percentage of the population is homosexual?
It may be that no one will ever know for sure. To some people, homosexuality is a matter of perception and definition. Furthermore, many people have trouble admitting their homosexuality to themselves, much less to a researcher. But when gallup asked americans for their best estimate of the american gay and lesbian population, the results made all the figures mentioned above look conservative.
every fifth person -- at least
in august 2002*, gallup asked americans, in an open-ended format, to estimate the percentage of american men and the percentage of american women who are homosexual. The average estimates were that 21% of men are gay and 22% of women are lesbians. In fact, roughly a quarter of the public thinks more than 25% of men and 25% of women are homosexual. It should be pointed out, too, that many americans (at least one in six) could not give an estimate.
Male respondents tend to give lower estimates of both the male and female homosexual population than female respondents do. The average estimates among male respondents are that 16% of men and 21% of women are homosexual. Among female respondents, the average estimates are that 26% of men and 23% of women are homosexual. Somewhat interestingly, both sexes believe there are more homosexuals in the opposite sex than in their own sex.
portrayals in pop culture
before the 1980s, the few representations of homosexuality in popular culture tended to consist of potentially dangerous social deviants (think norman bates in psycho). Since then, however, the portrayal of gay characters in pop culture have become far more numerous and mostly positive. That growing representation may have spurred growing acceptance -- and inflated population estimates. In the last 10 years, the number of americans saying they feel homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle has gone from 38% (june 1992) to 51% (may 2002).
"seeing ourselves reflected positively encourages gay people to come out," said cathy renna, news media director for the gay & lesbian alliance against defamation (glaad). "and when people know real gay men and lesbians it increases their level of understanding and acceptance." if you doubt that ellen, rosie and others have had an effect on americans' acceptance of homosexuality, consider this -- mtv and showtime are about to launch a cable channel directed at the homosexual market. They estimate that gays and lesbians make up 6.5% of television's audience.
key points
whether increased acceptance of homosexuality has led to an upsurge in the number of positive media portrayals of gay characters or vice versa, one result seems to be that americans now tend to overestimate the gay population in america. While most expert estimates place america's homosexual population at 10% or less, americans tend to guess that the number is higher, around 20%.
*results based on telephone interviews with 489 (for those estimating percentages of lesbian women) and 518 (for those estimating percentages of gay men) conducted may 6-9, 2002. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±5%.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/6961/what-percentage-population-gay.aspx


zzzzzzzzzzz...........zzzzzzzzzz

[giovanni_hotel]

Beware the greys.
They totally fuck up the gay/hetero statistical distribution.

[danthepoetman]

Lol. Giovanni, you expressed in two sentences what I couldn’t say with 10 and a graphic…

[rodinuk]

if you think we’re talking about the more repressed late 40s-early 50s.

Ah you meant the 1940's-50's, not menopausal people - I thought they were shedding inhibitions at that age ;)

[TSPornFan]

Your information is wrong. Most people are bi-sexual. Most people will not admit they have fantasies to be with the same sex because of our society's standards.

[Prospero]

I had a gay experience once because i wanted to see if i liked it. It did not turn me on. I hated it. Yet I love transexuals - as people and in bed. Does that make me Gay? Or bi-curious? (Not that I mind what people call me when it comes to my sexuality)

[rodinuk]

Yet I love transexuals - as people and in bed. Does that make me Gay?

We shall not cease to create new threads
And at the end of all our thread creation
Will be to arrive where we started
And see the 'Am I Gay' thread for the nth time


with apologies to T.S. Eliot

[Prospero]

The 1,001 quartets by T S Rod
- thanks .... droll....

[rodinuk]

...this type of thread seems to act like a Black(Pink) Hole, gravitating back to the Am I Gay? question :)

[natina]

IF YOU DON'T KNOW, KNOW YOU KNOW!
Poll: 3.4% of US Adults Are Gay, Bisexual, Transgender

A new survey has found that 3.4% of US adults identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. The Gallup poll, believed to be the largest ever aimed at calculating the LGBT population, interviewed more than 121,000 people. The findings upend some stereotypes about the community. "If you spend a lot of time watching network television, you would think most LGBT people are rich white men who live in big cities," the poll report's lead author tells USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/18/adults-lesbian-gay-bisexual/1642203/). "These data suggest the LGBT community reflects more of the diversity in the US." In fact, LGBT identification is highest among younger, non-white, less educated people.
Percentages of those considering themselves LGBT range from 3.2% of whites to 4.6% of African-Americans. Slightly more women (3.6%) than men (3.3%) generally identified themselves as LGBT. The range was far wider among people ages 18 to 29, with 8.3% of women and 4.6% of men considering themselves LGBT. The ultra-conservative American Research Council squawked that while the LGBT population may be 3.4% of America, they "seem to enjoy 100% accommodation." (http://www.frc.org/)

http://www.newser.com/story/156086/poll-34-of-us-adults-are-gay-bisexual-transgender.html

[fred41]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/18/adults-lesbian-gay-bisexual/1642203/...and everyone has to remember...this poll leaves out the percentage that is in deep,deep denial too...so the actual stats are probably much higher than that.

...but this stat doesn't delineate "gay"...just "gayish"...:)

[danthepoetman]

Fell on this by chance and thought it could have a place here…

[danthepoetman]

...the point being of course, among others: Gallup or any pollsters (for what you know -and what they tell you) call you at super time for a 3 minutes interview, do you admit having any kind of gay tendency?

[giovanni_hotel]

Most people aren't honest enough or self aware to answer a question like this honestly. For instance there was a time in the past when I would NEVER have admitted my sexual attraction to TGs, and definitely not post about it on a tgirl forum.

I don't think the number is actually triple, but I do think it's higher than just under 4%.

[Sulka_bewitched_me]

Your information is wrong. Most people are bi-sexual. Most people will not admit they have fantasies to be with the same sex because of our society's standards.

Umm NO I am not bisexual in that I have absolutely NO physical attraction to men. TS may be genetically classified as men but for a certain percentage of them they present as very alluring women and THAT's what I'm attracted to . The plumbing may be different but put a vagina on a man and sorry NO THANKS!;)

[BellaBellucci]

Kinsey's method was flawed, but no more so than similar studies. They all have a wildly high margin of error when you factor in social pressure to repress homosexual tendencies. The reason we'll never really know is because sexuality is always evolving yet the closet is still so huge.

Well, that or it can squeeze in like a gazillion people, but either way we cannot positively identify who is inside.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mrueOrhpDOI/Tztop0CDERI/AAAAAAAAISk/sipbGWoEArE/s1600/PTP%2520-%2520Clown%2520Car.jpg

~BB~

[danthepoetman]

What I really like about the Kinsey study, despite some flaws -you’re right, Bella-, is the incredible and to my knowledge, unmatched length of the interviews he was conducting with the subjects. Long interviews of sometimes several hours considering more than 500 different topics on sexuality! His team interviewed as many as (or only) 12 000 people in more than a decade.
The second aspect that still is wonderful to this day is how Kinsey considered sexual orientation as something much broader than just hetero, homo and bi sexuality. He defined a spectrum, and considered every possible aspects of sexuality, from fantasies to scarce or occasional activities in different periods in life. This openness of mind got him to see that much many more people could be seen as leaning towards the middle then ever thought before.
As a matter of fact, because of these factors (time, fantasy, scarce sexual activities over time, evolution indeed, etc.), I suspect we will never be able to give precise numbers on the subject; as you said, the margin of error will always be much greater in the matter than in almost anything else. Yet, Kinsey probably gave a better answer and a better idea of what sexuality was than any other study because of that broad perspective.