ArticlePloS one2018
Sexual identity, attraction and behaviour in Britain: The implications of using different dimensions of sexual orientation to estimate the size of sexual minority populations and inform public health interventions.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 135 citations in OpenAlex.
- Population-based methods for estimating the number of men who have sex with men: a systematic review.Sexual health · 2019Pooled it
- Comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis on physical health conditions in lesbian- and bisexual-identified women compared with heterosexual-identified women.Women's health (London, England)Pooled it
- Sexual health promotion in people with severe mental illness: the RESPECT feasibility RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2019Trial
- Pregnancy intentions by sexual orientation among pregnancies across the life course.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Sex Differences in Reported Effectiveness and Psychosocial Effects of Therapy-Assisted Sexual Orientation Change.Cureus · 2026Article
- Review of UK and Ireland Surveys of Health Professional Educators on Teaching of Sexual- and Gender-Minority Health.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The interplay between gender identity and sex assigned at birth in adolescents' health and wellbeing: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Development of a natural language-processing application for LGBTQ+ status in mental health records.BJPsych open · 2025Article
- Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Dark Triad Traits, Sexual Excitation/Inhibition, and Sociosexuality.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
- Article
- Sexual orientation disparities in gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2024Article
- Examining changes in sexual lifestyles in Britain between 1990-2010: a latent class analysis approach.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt and non-suicidal self-harm amongst lesbian, gay and bisexual adults compared with heterosexual adults: analysis of data from two nationally representative English household surveys.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2024Article
- Interventions, Barriers, and Facilitators to Address the Sexual Problems of Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV: A Rapid Scoping Review.AIDS and behavior · 2024Article
- Article
- Reply to Strizzi and Di Nucci (2023b) on Ethical and Human Rights Concerns of Sexual Orientation Change Efforts.Archives of sexual behavior · 2023Article
- Sexual behavior and self-declaration of sexual orientation among people 18-64 years in Brazil: results from the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices survey, 2013 and the National Health Survey, 2019.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Causal Influences of Same-Sex Attraction on Psychological Distress and Risky Sexual Behaviors: Evidence for Bidirectional Effects.Archives of sexual behavior · 2023Article
- Is everyone a mix of straight and gay? A social pressure theory of sexual orientation, with supporting data from a large global sample.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Norwegian Data on Prevalence, Sexual Risk Behaviors, Sexual Problems, and Sexual Satisfaction in Women Who Have Sex Exclusively with Women, Women Who Have Sex Exclusively with Men, and Women Who Have Sex with Men and Women.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSexual orientation encompasses three dimensions: sexual identity, attraction and behaviour. There is increasing demand for data on sexual orientation to meet equality legislation, monitor potential inequalities and address public health needs. We present estimates of all three dimensions and their overlap in British men and women, and consider the implications for health services, research and the development and evaluation of public health interventions.
methodsAnalyses of data from Britain's third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, a probability sample survey (15,162 people aged 16-74 years) undertaken in 2010-2012.
findingsA lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) identity was reported by 2·5% of men and 2·4% of women, whilst 6·5% of men and 11·5% of women reported any same-sex attraction and 5·5% of men and 6·1% of women reported ever experience of same-sex sex. This equates to approximately 547,000 men and 546,000 women aged 16-74 in Britain self-identifying as LGB and 1,204,000 men and 1,389,000 women ever having experience of same-sex sex. Of those reporting same-sex sex in the past 5 years, 28% of men and 45% of women identified as heterosexual.
interpretationThere is large variation in the size of sexual minority populations depending on the dimension applied, with implications for the design of epidemiological studies, targeting and monitoring of public health interventions and estimating population-based denominators. There is also substantial diversity on an individual level between identity, behaviour and attraction, adding to the complexity of delivering appropriate services and interventions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.