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01st Mar 2021

Only half of young people say they are exclusively attracted to the opposite sex

Wil Jones

Three-quarters of 41 to 54-year-olds said they were attracted to the opposite sex

A new poll has found only half of Gen Z would describe themselves as only being attracted to the opposite sex.

According to the data published in The Times, only 50% of 18-23-years-old said that they are “only attracted to those of the opposite sex”

In comparison, 76% of those aged 41 to 54 said they were attracted to the opposite sex.

1,127 adults in the UK and 1,005 adults in the US were polled in the survey, with similar results being found in both countries.

The results could indicate an “increase in willingness and ability to come out,” between age groups, said Karen Blair, director of the Social Relations, Attitudes and Diversity Lab at Trent University in Canada.

“Each recent generation has faced fewer and fewer external pressures to conform to heterosexuality,” she told The Times.

In a separate poll earlier this week, Gallup found that 5.6% of US adults identify as LGBT – up from 4.5% in Gallup’s previous 2017 poll.

86.7% of Americans said they are heterosexual or straight, and 7.6% did not answer the question about their sexuality.

The numbers were very different with Generation Z however, with about one in six Gen Z adults considering themselves something other than heterosexual.

72% of American 18 to 23-year-olds who identify as LGBT say they are bisexual.

Topics:

LGBT,Sex