Less than 3 percent of Americans say
they are gay or bisexual, according to a new survey released Tuesday
by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The National Health Interview Survey
found that 1.6 percent of Americans self-identify as gay, while 0.7
percent are bisexual.
A large majority (96.6%) of the 34,500
adults interviewed said they consider themselves to be straight.
Another 1.1 percent checked off “something else,” “I don't know
the answer” or declined to answer.
0.9 percent of female respondents said
they were bisexual, roughly twice as many as men.
This year's survey was the first in its
57 year history to ask about sexual orientation. It is also the
largest federal survey to include such questions.
Gary J. Gates, a demographer at the
Williams Institute, a think tank at the University of California at
Los Angeles that studies the LGBT community, applauded the inclusion.
“This is a major step forward in
trying to remedy some of these gaps in our understanding of the role
sexual orientation and gender identity play in people's health and in
their lives,” Gates told The
Washington Post.
(Related: Bryan
Fischer urges Christians to stand against “tiny” minority of gay
“belligerent bullies.”)