% that identifty as a gay man

[Bowyn Aerrow]

10% for DC? Damn must be a lot of those conservative Republicans there.

[darunzahn]

Only 2.8% in Wisconsin of more than 4500 people polled. So only about 129 and most of another person identify as ANY of those. Finding a date seems harder than finding a needle in a needlestack!

I don't put a huge stock in the numbers because of common factors fallacies with surveys like the size of the survey pool, how and who they're polling, and of course the honesty factor.

If a random company called and asked me the same question I like to think that I would answer honestly, but I can't be certain and I assume plenty of others would have reason to keep their sexuality to themselves as well.

[Genersis]

I'm still surprised so few people openly identify as LGBT.
I would of expected at least ten percent for most areas; considering the question covered four identifiers.

[Lilitu]

Wow from the number of interviews... that can't be spectacularly accurate...

[Pix]

Lesbians were looked for as well, but no one asked me.

Offhand I can't recall ever being polled (not counting anonymous internet polls) that wasn't trying to sell something, market research (so they could sell me something later on), or with ulterior political motives. And I don't know anybody in real life who has been polled either. Mix in that more than one person busted for inventing stats from imaginary polls (including very respected and still quoted despite being busted) and I just find myself skeptical of the whole thing.

[darunzahn]

Thinking on this poll I wish they would have asked those polled how tolerant they were of any of those groups. At least getting an idea of tolerance along with an idea of how many people identified as these groups we could have had a much more interesting poll.

[Undreamt]

we actually did a divercity survey at my work and it turned out 7% of the company i work for identifies as lgbti (company of about 2400)

[Pix]

Thinking on this poll I wish they would have asked those polled how tolerant they were of any of those groups. At least getting an idea of tolerance along with an idea of how many people identified as these groups we could have had a much more interesting poll.

I think it would have to be more specific, like "Do you believe in gay marriage?" Many people are against equality but say they're not, claim to have good friends who are gay, and fully support them and yet back Chick Fil A and even groups like Exodus International trying to get "kill the gays" bill passed. I guess it's like how some people can really dislike blacks but as long as they don't burn crosses they think they're not racist, just realistic, and the one black janitor they're civil to at work (and may even like) proves they're not racist though they also think Obama is going to get revenge on white people. And another thing more than one has said is they support gay equality, gays are just as equal to marry someone of the opposite sex as anyone else.

[pellaz]

Lesbians were looked at as well, ...

current thinking is the ladies are half to one third the gay male population

... Offhand I can't recall ever being polled ...

when straight people are polled they think the gay population is much higher, like 25%. Maybe 75%. Humans tend to demonize groups of people they dont know much about and fear.

at 3-8% (8% in the metro area's) i doubt the gay population will effect marriage and family life. No big effect on society

but what about the countless closeted gay people. well, cant be affirming to the hidden un knowing


another minority African American represents 12% of the population

[princealbertofb]

Those are some weird numbers. I am pretty sure they are still not using cell phones and just land lines (but not 100% on this) and as the population with only land lines is probably much older and less likely to be honest in such a poll than a cell phone poll of a younger group... I just dont know???

You've got a point there, Frank. And I'm thinking, as well, that when you look at the states where people are more likely to identify as gay, they're the ones where it's not frowned upon so much, states where marriage is even legal, for some. So that goes to show that how people identify is also about how fearless they are about admitting it. It doesn't stop a whole lot of men having sex with men... the famous MSM group.