Purpose of Study
The CDC studies the spread of disease, including sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. This report on sexual behavior is intended to provide reliable national estimates on certain types of sexual behavior. They studied men and women age 15-44 on different types of sexual thoughts and behaviors, not just same-sex attraction and activity. The study took place in 2002 with 12,571 in-person interviews.
Unlike some previous studies, respondents were asked questions and recorded their answers on a personal computer that the interviewer could not see. Researchers think respondents may give more honest answers with this method.
Findings of the CDC Sex Study for Lesbians and Bisexual Women
Sexual Orientation and Sexual Activity
In response to the question, "Do you think of yourself as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or something else?":
The NSFG concedes that further study is needed to determine what exactly "something else" means to these women. They speculate that women may not understand those terms, or prefer some other term to describe their sexual orientation.
The percentage of men and women who think of themselves as bisexual or homosexual is roughly equal at 4.1%. This represents 2.27 million men and 2.29 million women in the United States.
Who are Women attracted to?
It is important to note that these studies do not include those 45 years of age or over, those in prison, jails or other institutions, so they are not complete estimates of the total number of people in the United States.
