Large US study: 1.6 per cent identify as homosexual

A large-scale government study in America has found that just 1.6 per cent of adults self-identify as homosexual.

The 2013 National Health Interview Survey, published this week, collected data from more than 33,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 64.

The research found that 96.6 per cent said they were heterosexual, 1.6 per cent identified as gay and 0.7 per cent considered themselves bisexual.

Government

The survey is the US Government’s primary tool for assessing health and behaviours in America’s population, and comprises questions on a wide range of topics, such as medical care, vaccinations and tobacco use.

The data is collected for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by the Census Bureau, using face-to-face interviews and some telephone queries.

UK figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2012 showed that just 1.5 per cent of the population identify as gay or bisexual.

Adults

The ONS showed that 1.1 per cent said they were gay or lesbian, after speaking to around 545,000 adults.

And after quizzing around 220,000 adults, the ONS found that 0.4 per cent said they were bisexual.