Publication:
Sex in Australia: Sexual identity, sexual attraction and sexual experience among a representative sample of adults
Sex in Australia: Sexual identity, sexual attraction and sexual experience among a representative sample of adults
dc.contributor.author | Smith, Anthony | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Rissel, Chris | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Richters, Juliet | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Grulich, Andrew | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | de Visser, Richard | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2021-11-25T14:39:49Z | |
dc.date.available | 2021-11-25T14:39:49Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2003 | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | Objective To describe the prevalence of same-sex and opposite-sex attraction and experience in Australia and the prevalence of different sexual identities. Method Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 10,173 men and 9,134 women aged 16–59 years from all States and Territories of Australia. The overall response rate was 73.1% (men, 69.4%; women, 77.6%). Men and women were asked about their experience of same-sex and opposite-sex attraction and experience along with their sexual identity. The agreement and disagreement between sexual attraction and sexual experience were explored. Results Among men, 97.4% identified as heterosexual, 1.6% as gay or homosexual and 0.9% as bisexual. Among women, 97.7% identified as heterosexual, 0.8% as lesbian or homosexual and 1.4% as bisexual. Among men, 91.4% reported only opposite-sex attraction and experience, as did 84.9% of women. Thus, some same-sex attraction or experience was reported by 8.6% of men and 15.1% of women. Of men, 4.2% reported sexual attraction and sexual experience that was inconsistent, as did 8.2% of women. Factors associated with this agreement or disagreement included age group, non-English-speaking background, education and socio-economic status. Conclusion Relatively few Australians reported a sexual identity other than heterosexual. However, both same-sex attraction and homosexual experience are more common than homosexual or bisexual identity would suggest. Reporting same-sex attraction or experience was associated with poorer mental health and is likely to reflect responses to homophobia in Australian society. | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 1326-0200 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/43113 | |
dc.language | English | |
dc.language.iso | EN | en_US |
dc.rights | CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 | en_US |
dc.rights.uri | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/ | en_US |
dc.source | Legacy MARC | en_US |
dc.subject.other | homosexuality | en_US |
dc.subject.other | sexual behaviour | en_US |
dc.subject.other | Australia | en_US |
dc.title | Sex in Australia: Sexual identity, sexual attraction and sexual experience among a representative sample of adults | en_US |
dc.type | Journal Article | en |
dcterms.accessRights | metadata only access | |
dspace.entity.type | Publication | en_US |
unsw.accessRights.uri | http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_14cb | |
unsw.identifier.doiPublisher | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-842X.2003.tb00801.x | en_US |
unsw.relation.faculty | Medicine & Health | |
unsw.relation.ispartofissue | 2 | en_US |
unsw.relation.ispartofjournal | Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health | en_US |
unsw.relation.ispartofpagefrompageto | 138-145 | en_US |
unsw.relation.ispartofvolume | 27 | en_US |
unsw.relation.originalPublicationAffiliation | Smith, Anthony | en_US |
unsw.relation.originalPublicationAffiliation | Rissel, Chris | en_US |
unsw.relation.originalPublicationAffiliation | Richters, Juliet, Public Health & Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW | en_US |
unsw.relation.originalPublicationAffiliation | Grulich, Andrew, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW | en_US |
unsw.relation.originalPublicationAffiliation | de Visser, Richard | en_US |
unsw.relation.school | School of Population Health | * |
unsw.relation.school | The Kirby Institute | * |