More USAians engaing in homosexual experimentation.

[catsmate]

An interesting paper in Archives of Sexual Behavior called Changes in American Adults’ Reported Same-Sex Sexual Experiences and Attitudes, 1973–2014. The paper uses data from the University of Chicago's General Social Survey, an ongoing survey of around 30,000 U.S. adults conducted since 1972.

It seems USAians are becoming more comfortable with homosexuality in general; 11% rated it as "not wrong at all" in 1973and 13% in 1990, today the figure is 49%, 63% amongst young adults.
And while the percentage of people having sex exclusively with partners of the same-sex partners hasn't changed noticeable, bisexuality and sexual experimentation are far more common. Those who reported having at least one same-sex partner as an adult more than doubled between the early 1990s and early 2010s; 3.6% to 8.7% for women and 4.5% to 8.2% for men. The increase was even greater among whites and those in the South and Midwest USA.
The number of Americans engaging in bisexual behavior rose from 3.1% to 7.7% and some surveys show almost a third of young Americans are bisexual to some degree.

Fascinating.

We examined change over time in the reported prevalence of men having sex with men and women having sex with women and acceptance of those behaviors in the nationally representative General Social Survey of U.S. adults (n’s = 28,161–33,728, ages 18–96 years), 1972–2014. The number of U.S. adults who had at least one same-sex partner since age 18 doubled between the early 1990s and early 2010s (from 3.6 to 8.7 % for women and from 4.5 to 8.2 % for men). Bisexual behavior (having sex with both male and female partners) increased from 3.1 to 7.7 %, accounting for much of the rise, with little consistent change in those having sex exclusively with same-sex partners. The increase in same-sex partners was larger for women than for men, consistent with erotic plasticity theory. Attitudes toward same-sex sexual behavior also became substantially more accepting, d = .75, between the early 1970s and early 2010s. By 2014, 49 % of American adults believed that same-sex sexual activity was “not wrong at all,” up from 11 % in 1973 and 13 % in 1990. Controlling for acceptance reduced, but did not eliminate, the increase in same-sex behavior over time. Mixed effects (hierarchical linear modeling) analyses separating age, time period, and cohort showed that the trends were primarily due to time period. Increases in same-sex sexual behavior were largest in the South and Midwest and among Whites, were mostly absent among Blacks, and were smaller among the religious. Overall, same-sex sexual behavior has become both more common (or at least more commonly reported) and more accepted.

Paper (PDF)
NBC story

 

[Seismosaurus]

I suspect that as the cultural stigma of homosexuality fades, this will increase. Perhaps a generation or two down the line the common attitude to homosexuality will be less "Ewww, that's gross!" and more "Tried it a few times, didn't care for it much" or "Well it's okay I guess, but I prefer opposite sex when I can get it."

Seems like a good thing, to me, if so.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Well, I suppose if people experiment enough they will eventually figure it out.

 

[Upchurch]

When people use the phrase "homosexual experimentation", I always picture it involving lab coats, goggles, and bubbling beakers.

 

[applecorped]

I think I'll try being gay it will double my chances but also double my chances at rejection

 

[catsmate]

When people use the phrase "homosexual experimentation", I always picture it involving lab coats, goggles, and bubbling beakers.

The only scenario I participated in that used those props was hetero...

 

[shemp]

When people use the phrase "homosexual experimentation", I always picture it involving lab coats, goggles, and bubbling beakers.

Hey, whatever turns you on.

 

[Darat]

It's ever since they changed the toaster you used to get for every conversion to the pre-paid Mastercard.

 

[Jrrarglblarg]

It's ever since they changed the toaster you used to get for every conversion to the pre-paid Mastercard.

Channelling Malbec now? That makes no sense in English.

 

[shemp]

It's ever since they changed the toaster you used to get for every conversion to the pre-paid Mastercard.

Are you saying that you get a free homosexual with every account you open? Nothing wrong with that, but I think I'll stick with Visa.

 

[Jules Galen]

An interesting paper in Archives of Sexual Behavior called Changes in American Adults’ Reported Same-Sex Sexual Experiences and Attitudes, 1973–2014. The paper uses data from the University of Chicago's General Social Survey, an ongoing survey of around 30,000 U.S. adults conducted since 1972.

It seems USAians are becoming more comfortable with homosexuality in general; 11% rated it as "not wrong at all" in 1973and 13% in 1990, today the figure is 49%, 63% amongst young adults.
And while the percentage of people having sex exclusively with partners of the same-sex partners hasn't changed noticeable, bisexuality and sexual experimentation are far more common. Those who reported having at least one same-sex partner as an adult more than doubled between the early 1990s and early 2010s; 3.6% to 8.7% for women and 4.5% to 8.2% for men. The increase was even greater among whites and those in the South and Midwest USA.
The number of Americans engaging in bisexual behavior rose from 3.1% to 7.7% and some surveys show almost a third of young Americans are bisexual to some degree.

Fascinating.



Paper (PDF)
NBC story

Or...at least that's what people are reporting to the polls. In general, people can be notorious liars when it comes to polls. For example, consider the fact that a lot of Americans report going to church much more than they actually go: http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/05/18/poll-finds-americans-lie-about-church-attendance/32117

 

[Ladewig]

Or...at least that's what people are reporting to the polls. In general, people can be notorious liars when it comes to polls. For example, consider the fact that a lot of Americans report going to church much more than they actually go: http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/05/18/poll-finds-americans-lie-about-church-attendance/32117

That was my first thought as well.

 

[CynicalSkeptic]

When people use the phrase "homosexual experimentation", I always picture it involving lab coats, goggles, and bubbling beakers.

No bubbling beakers in my sexual experiments. Broken glass around exposed body parts in a bad idea.

 

[HenryLee]

But are they actually homosexuals? Or has the "born this way" canard finally fallen away having served its purpose?

 

[Jrrarglblarg]

But are they actually homosexuals? Or has the "born this way" canard finally fallen away having served its purpose?

...Fallacious argument detected...

 

[Darat]

Or...at least that's what people are reporting to the polls. In general, people can be notorious liars when it comes to polls. For example, consider the fact that a lot of Americans report going to church much more than they actually go: http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/05/18/poll-finds-americans-lie-about-church-attendance/32117

That would suggest folk are thinking they should be and should let other people know that they are having more homosexual sex....

 

[plague311]

But are they actually homosexuals? Or has the "born this way" canard finally fallen away having served its purpose?

I would say that it means it's something they are interested in and would like to try. Which is pretty common.

Either way, they are born that way. Some might be bisexual, there might be a ton of people that have been bisexual but were afraid to test the waters because of the cultural stigma attached.

 

[3point14]

Or...at least that's what people are reporting to the polls. In general, people can be notorious liars when it comes to polls. For example, consider the fact that a lot of Americans report going to church much more than they actually go: http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/05/18/poll-finds-americans-lie-about-church-attendance/32117

Would you suspect under reporting or over reporting?

 

[Pup]

Would you suspect under reporting or over reporting?

Personally, I'd expect underreporting to decrease as the stigma decreased. Either way (actual sex or reported sex) the numbers would be expected to be rising, as they are.

 

[ZirconBlue]

Either way (actual sex or reported sex) the numbers would be expected to be rising, as they are.

Not just the numbers.