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Is 10% of the population really gay?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by CuriousLiaison, Apr 6, 2015.

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  1. CuriousLiaison

    CuriousLiaison
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    I found this article and thought it might be an interesting point for discussion

    Is 10% of the population really gay? | Society | The Guardian

    The gist is that the 10% figure was collected with unreliable methods. Surveys generally find about 1-1.5% of people identifying as gay. People identifying as bi vary quite a bit depending on the data collection method. But there's a big difference between identity, same-sex experience (which could just mean a random kiss in the dark) and having a same-sex partner (here taken to mean someone with whom there has been genital contact intended to reach orgasm).

    Also the number of people identifying as gay is heavily affected by levels of education, and also youth. I think I've seen elsewhere that about 7% of 16-35 year old Americans identify as gay, with not much variation between races and religions, except for white evangelical Protestants (1%) and atheists (12%).

    Plus this article doesn't really mention the people who refuse to answer the question to a pollster on the phone, who can number another few percent and in which you'd think LGB people would be over-represented.

    What do people think is an accurate number? I work with about 300 people, and 2 of them I know are gay (and wouldn't have guessed if I hadn't been told), I've heard rumours about 3 others, and there's another handful I suspect (partly down to wishful thinking). No one else in my social group is gay.

    If I were to guess from personal experience, I'd probably say about 3%, and this is an area where I don't know that you can say that survey data is any sort of reliable indication.

    Thoughts?
     
    #1 CuriousLiaison, Apr 6, 2015
  2. Andrew99

    Andrew99
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    Everyone's gay.
     
    #2 Andrew99, Apr 6, 2015
  3. MotelGuy

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    Oh how I wish this were true:icon_sad:...
     
    #3 MotelGuy, Apr 6, 2015
  4. Winter Maiden

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    I don't really know how surveys work as I am sure there is some complicated number stuff going on in the background >.<
     
    #4 Winter Maiden, Apr 6, 2015
  5. RainDreamer

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    Maybe, maybe not. The thing is that with these kinds of survey it is very, very difficult to get accurate numbers, as people tend to lie about sensitive/controversial issues. Might takes a while until being LGBT is no longer controversial, then we may have better numbers.
     
    #5 RainDreamer, Apr 6, 2015
  6. Foz

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    The ONS in the UK puts it at 6.5% IIRC, however that's from people saying they are gay/bi, so I can imagine 10% is roughly accurate.
     
    #6 Foz, Apr 6, 2015
  7. Ditz

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    I've crunched numbers too and honestly, I think it would be closer to 1% than 10%. I live in a town of 30,000 people... If there are 50 Gay people it would be a lot never mind 3,000...
     
    #7 Ditz, Apr 6, 2015
  8. Lyana

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    Somewhere between 3 and 10% as either gay or bi.
    I mean, I want to believe it's at least 10%, so I'm biased, but still. Definitely more than 1%. In my lecture hall of 75, there's 3 of us that I know of. It's not that hard to imagine there's at least 1 more, which would put us at 5%.

    10% seems like a lot to me, and in the end, it shouldn't even matter. Even if we're only 1%, so what? We still want those rights.
     
    #8 Lyana, Apr 6, 2015
  9. CuriousLiaison

    CuriousLiaison
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    No, it shouldn't matter, but it does tend to be the case that when people are arguing about LGBT rights that people on one side of the argument will prefer to use higher estimates than the other, as if there's no point in going to all this fuss to allow 1% of people to marry people they love.

    I mostly hope that it's a higher figure because that would make it sound a bit easier to find a boyfriend...

    (Not that I'm looking for one right now, but hopefully I'm not too far off from that stage.)
     
    #9 CuriousLiaison, Apr 6, 2015
  10. confuzzled82

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    hmmm... in the office I work in, at least 25% are LGBT...
     
    #10 confuzzled82, Apr 6, 2015
  11. ChloeKiss

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    If 10 percent of the population is gay then does that mean that every 1 in 10 people is lgbt?!
     
    #11 ChloeKiss, Apr 6, 2015
  12. SocceRoo

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    I would guess about 3%-15% depending on the area and probably 7% on average (just guessing).
     
    #12 SocceRoo, Apr 6, 2015
  13. MotelGuy

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    Now that you mention it, there's 10 male workers(Myself included)here where I work...And I'm the only Gay one, so it's possible...
     
    #13 MotelGuy, Apr 6, 2015
  14. Ivy Saint

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    i believe it's more like 15-20%
     
    #14 Ivy Saint, Apr 6, 2015
  15. candyjiru

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    Wow, I don't know... I think there would be a lot of people who wouldn't even take the survey because they hate even thinking about "the gays" or because they were too afraid to write it down... From US TV portrayal it seems like a huge percentage of the population is non-hetero, but I think 3~7 percent would be more likely~
     
    #15 candyjiru, Apr 6, 2015
  16. Kaiser

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    American television portrayals would also lead you to believe, only about 10% of the population is obese, and that we're all perfect sized.

    As for this topic itself, if 10% of the population is non-heterosexual, those numbers drop more, when it comes to companionship, when you tally in:

    Single vs not single.
    Personal preference and attraction.
    Religion vs personal beliefs/standards.
    Location and/or availability.

    It's kind of depressing, really...
     
    #16 Kaiser, Apr 6, 2015
  17. Higs

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    Personally, I noted way less than 10%...
     
    #17 Higs, Apr 6, 2015
  18. lemons123

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    5% for men and 15% for women = average 10%. Something like that.
     
    #18 lemons123, Apr 6, 2015
  19. 741852963

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    With all due respect you have put you are living in South Africa. Whilst South Africa is one of the more progressive countries on the African continent in terms of the law, social acceptance of homosexuality is still very poor statistically so it is unsurprising there is little self-publicity re sexuality.

    And besides, how many of that town of 30,000 have you actually met and conversed with in depth enough to know their sexuality? I'm guessing a very small fraction, 500 tops. It is impossible to say what goes on behind closed doors.
     
    #19 741852963, Apr 6, 2015
  20. Ghost93

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    The problem with these studies is they never take into account that many people are closeted. I personally think roughly 5% of the population is some form of LGBT, but a good portion of those remain closeted.
     
    #20 Ghost93, Apr 6, 2015
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