New Study Reports One-Third Of Young People Identify As Gay Or Bisexual

One-third of the young British population consider themselves something other than heterosexual, reports a new survey commissioned by the BBC and conducted by polling company Ipsos Mori.

In the survey, which sampled Gen Z (1990s to mid 2000s), millennials and Gen X (1961-1981), 14% of the 16-22-year-olds admitted that they are "mostly" attracted to the opposite sex, with another 9% claiming they are attracted to both sexes. That left 66% of people, who identified as pure heterosexual. 

Elsewhere in the survey, the younger the demographics got, the bigger bisexuality identify became. In the Gen Z audience, 24% reported being mostly attracted to the opposite sex or equally attracted to both sexes. It's a decent-sized contrast from 18% of Gen-Yers and 8% of Gen-Xers.

Sex therapist Louise Mazanti told The Sun that the boxes of sexuality are no longer as confined as they once were in the past. "Yes, we're seeing a trend of questioning the norms of sexual orientation," she said. "Young people are increasingly resisting the confinement of being defined as either hetero or homosexual These boxes simply don’t fit human sexuality, and never did. In my opinion they are entirely man-made. It's time to admit that we might have sexual gender preferences, but if we gave ourselves permission it’s never the genitals that define who we are attracted to."

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