Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1995 Jun;24(3):235-48.
doi: 10.1007/BF01541598.

The prevalence of homosexual behavior and attraction in the United States, the United Kingdom and France: results of national population-based samples

R L Sell  1 , J A Wells, D Wypij
Affiliations

The prevalence of homosexual behavior and attraction in the United States, the United Kingdom and France: results of national population-based samples

R L Sell et al. Arch Sex Behav. 1995 Jun.

Abstract

Researchers determining the prevalence of homosexuality in nationally representative samples have focused upon determining the prevalence of homosexual behavior, ignoring those individuals whose sexual attraction to the same sex had not resulted in sexual behavior. We examine the use of sexual attraction as well as sexual behavior to estimate the prevalence of homosexuality in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France using the Project HOPE International Survey of AIDS-Risk Behaviors. We find that 8.7, 7.9, and 8.5% of males and 11.1, 8.6, and 11.7% of females in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, respectively, report some homosexual attraction but no homosexual behavior since age 15. Further, considering homosexual behavior and homosexual attraction as different but overlapping dimensions of homosexuality, we find 20.8, 16.3, and 18.5% of males, and 17.8, 18.6, and 18.5% of females in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France report either homosexual behavior or homosexual attraction since age 15. Examination of homosexual behavior separately finds that 6.2, 4.5, and 10.7% of males and 3.6, 2.1, and 3.3% of females in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, respectively, report having had sexual contact with someone of the same sex in the previous 5 years. Our findings highlight the importance of using more than just homosexual behavior to examine the prevalence of homosexuality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. J Homosex. 1990;19(1):89-104 - PubMed
    1. Nature. 1992 Dec 3;360(6403):410-2 - PubMed
    1. Fam Plann Perspect. 1993 Mar-Apr;25(2):52-60 - PubMed
    1. Science. 1989 Jan 20;243(4889):338-48 - PubMed
    1. Arch Sex Behav. 1993 Aug;22(4):291-310 - PubMed