A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows an uptick in the number of people identifying as bisexual. The same survey also shows that the number of men admitting to having same-sex sexual contact has also increased.
Researchers did in-person interviews with over 10,000 respondents who were asked to record their answers on a computer. Scientists use this method frequently so respondents aren't required to tell interviewers their answers, which could bias their responses. The survey focused people aged 18-44.
Almost two percent of men and 1.3 percent of women said they were exclusively homosexual while 5.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men said they were bisexual. A previous study from 2010 found that 1.2 percent of men identified as bisexual. Women aged 18-24 were more likely to identify as bisexual than women aged 24-44.
The report found that more women (17.4 percent) reported having same-sex sexual contact than men (6.9 percent). A higher percentage of men who haven't been married and weren't living with someone reported having sex with a person of the same gender; there was no related change in women due to marital status.
The 12.6 percent of women who self-identified as heterosexual reported having same-sex sexual contact and 2.8 percent of straight men reported having had sex with another man. Also, 67.9 percent of men and 89.7 percent of women who identify as homosexual or bisexual have had sexual contact with a person of the opposite gender.
Click here to read the study in full.
