Assessing Progress in the Measurement of
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in
Population Surveys
Stuart Michaels
Michael Stern
Michael Kozloski
AAPOR
May 14, 2015
Overview
• Background & history of populations surveys on sexuality
and gender identity
• Interaction of politics & science
• Review of major federally funded, nationally
representative surveys
• Items available
• Sample sizes
• Methodological Issues
• Conceptualization & Measurement: Sexuality
• Sexual Identity in the NHIS
• Mode & Context Effects (GSS vs. NHIS)
• Approaches to Gender Identiy/Transgender
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Historical Background & Political Context
• Early 20th century gay rights movement in German/legal
reform: Hirschfeld 1903 (first mail surveys)
• Sexual Behavior/Marriage: Kinsey Reports 1948 & 1953
• Sexual revolution: Kinsey Institute 1980
• HIV/AIDS: GSS 1988 & NHSLS 1992
• Sexual & Reproductive Health: NSFG
• LGBT health disparity: NHIS 2013
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Milestones: Kinsey Reports: Male 1948; Female 1953
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October 1994:
Milestones: IOM Report 2011
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Major National Surveys with LGBT items
Study Name
American Community Survey
Official Acronym
Study Website
ACS
census.gov/acs
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to
Adult Health
Add Health
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
BRFSS
United States Census
cpc.unc.edu/projects/addhealth
cdc.gov/brfss
US CENSUS (YEAR) census.gov
Current Population Survey
CPS
census.gov/cps/
General Social Survey
GSS
norc.uchicago.edu/GSS+Website/
National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and
Related Conditions
National Health & Nutrition Examination
Survey
National Health Interview Survey
National Survey on Drug Use and Health
National Survey of Family Growth
NESARC
pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA70/AA70.htm
NHANES
cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm
NHIS
NSDUH
NSFG
cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh.htm
cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg.htm
National Social Life, Health & Aging Project
NSHAP
norc.org/Research/Projects/Pages/national-social-lifehealth-and-aging-project.aspx
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
YRBSS
cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/
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LGBT items in Surveys, year, age range, sample size
Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Measures
Study
Sexual
Behavior
GSS
X
NSDUH
X
NHANES
X
Transgender
Sexual Identity
Identity
Analytic Details of Measure(s)
Same-Sex
Partner
Household
Years Included
Valid Age
Range
Analytic
Sample
X
1988-2012
18+
24,003
1996
12+
18,300
1999-2014
14-59
≈52,000
2000-2014
18+
27,749,435
X*
2001-2009
14-18
36,774
Sexual
Attraction
X
X
ACS
X
YRBSS
X*
X*
NSFG
X
X
X
2002; 2006-13
15-44
46,669
NESARC
X
X
X
2004-2005
18+
43,093
Add Health
X
X
X
X
2005-2006
24-34
5,114
NSHAP
X
X
2005-6 &
2010-11
57-85
3,005
CPS
X
2010-present
18+
97,263
US CENSUS
X
2010
All Ages
308,745,538
X
2013
18+
33,856
NHIS
X*
X
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* varies by state
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Conceptualization and Measurement
Conceptualization: What are we trying to measure?
Sexual orientation (LGB), Gender Identity (T), Sexual minorities,
etc.
S.O.: Behavior, Attraction, Identity
G.I.: Disjunction sex/gender; Transgender identity, gender
expression
Measurement: Can we believe respondents’ answers to
sensitive questions?
Is sexual orientation still a sensitive question?
Sources of error: measurement/response error (mode/context)
What are the research questions?
Prevalence (demography) of homosexuality
Health disparities, negative health outcomes
Economic & other disparities
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Sexual Orientation as a multi-dimensional
construct: Sexual Behavior, Attraction, & Identity
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Behavior, Attraction, Identity
Interrelationships between Behavior, Identity, and
Attraction among “Non-heterosexual” respondents
(21% of women; 9% of men)
WOMEN
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MEN
Early variants of sexual identity/orientation question
NHSLS 1992. Interviewer administered, face to face:
Do you think of yourself as . . .
heterosexual,
homosexual,
bisexual,
or something else? (SPECIFY___________________)
NSFG (2002-2013). ACASI:
Do you think of yourself as . . .
Heterosexual or straight
Homosexual or gay (WOMEN ONLY: or lesbian)
Bisexual?
GSS (2008-2014). Self-Administered:
Which of the following best describes you?
Gay, lesbian, or homosexual
Bisexual
Heterosexual or straight
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Sexual Identity question from NHIS 2013
• Which of the following best represents how you think
of yourself?
• Lesbian or gay
• Straight, that is, not lesbian or gay
• Bisexual
• Something else
• I don't know the answer
• Refused
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NHIS Sexual Identity Question (cont’d)
• What do you mean by don't know?
• You don't understand the words
• You understand the words, but you have not figured out or are in the
process of figuring out your sexuality
• You mean something else
• Don’t Know/Refused
• What do you mean by something else?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
not straight, but queer, trisexual, omnisexual or pansexual
transgender, transsexual or gender variant
not figured out/in process of figuring out
You do not think of yourself as having sexuality
You do not use labels to identify yourself
You mean something else
Don’t know/ Refused
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Comparison of Sexual identity Question in NHIS &
GSS
18-44
Women
Men
Comparison*
45-64
65+
GSS
2012-2014
NHIS 2013
GSS
2012-2014
NHIS 2013
GSS
2012-2014
NHIS 2013
Homosexual
2.8%
2.1%
1.7%
1.9%
1.9%B
0.8%
Bisexual
2.4%B
0.6%
1.2%B
0.4%
0.5%
0.2%
Heterosexual
94.2%
96.5%A
95.4%
96.7%A
96.2%
98.2%A
Don’t Know
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
0.4%
0.3%
0.4%
Refused
0.4%
0.5%
1.6%B
0.7%
1.1%
0.4%
Homosexual
1.1%
1.7%
1.1%
1.7%
0.5%
0.6%
Bisexual
4.7%B
1.5%
1.3%B
0.4%
0.9%B
0.1%
Heterosexual
92.3%
96.0%A
94.9%
96.9%A
95.7%
98.2%A
Don’t Know
0.3%
0.5%
0.2%
0.3%
0.2%
0.3%
Refused
1.7%B
0.4%
2.4%B
0.7%
2.6%B
0.7%
*NHIS responses ‘Something Else’ and ‘NA’ excluded to match GSS responses and percentages rebased
SEXORNT. Which of the following best describes you?
ASI.220-240_00.000: How you think of yourself: lesbian or gay; straight, that is, not gay; bisexual; something else?
• Respondents answering “Something else” or “Don’t know”
were asked a follow-up question, asking them to explain
exactly what their answer had meant
NHIS
2013
Homosexual
Heterosexual
Bisexual
Something
else
Refused
Don’t know
the answer
% of Total
1.6%
96.6%
0.7%
0.2%
0.6%
0.4%
Unweighted N
571
32546
233
56
223
155
Initial Response
46
44
Clarification Follow-Up
21
3
1
Not figured out
Don't
sexuality yet understand the
words
"Something else"
"I don't know the answer"
25
22
10
6
4
Refused
1
Do not use
labels
3
4
3
2
0
Do not think of Straight, that is, Transgender,
yourself as
not gay or
transsexual or
having sexuality
lesbian
gender variant
4
0
Identify with
another label
8
2
Something else
Don’t know
Unweighted N
571
32553
233
54
251
121
% of Total
1.6%
96.7%
0.7%
0.2%
0.6%
0.3%
Homosexual
Heterosexual
Bisexual
Something
else
Refused
Don’t know
the answer
Backend Revision
ACISIM/ACISIF: How you think of yourself: lesbian or gay; straight, that is, not gay; bisexual; something else?
ACISMELS/ACISFELS. What do you mean by “Something else?” ; ACISIMDK/ACISIFDK. What do you mean by “Don’t know?”
Dimensions of Gender/Transgender Identity
• Questions about gender variance, identity, transgender
are only recently emerging and have not been included in
any federally funded nationally representative surveys
• No consensus on dimensions and measures
(At least) Three Dimensions:
• Sex at birth vs. Current gender identity
• Gender Expression (masculinity/femininity)
• Transgender Identity
Like sexuality these are inter-related but non equivalent
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Gender Identity: The “two-step” approach
[Assigned sex at birth]
• What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original birth
certificate?
• Male
• Female
[Current gender identity]
• How do you describe yourself? (check one)
•
•
•
•
Male
Female
Transgender
Do not identify as female, male, or transgender
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October 18, 2012
Special Report: 3.4% of U.S. Adults Identify as LGBT
Inaugural Gallup findings based on more than 120,000 interviews
by Gary J. Gates and Frank Newport
PRINCETON, NJ -- The inaugural results of a new Gallup question -- posed
to more than 120,000 U.S. adults thus far -- shows that 3.4% say "yes"
when asked if they identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
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Summary
• Population research on sexuality and gender identity
evolves in response to societal changes
• Research questions and concepts change over time
• Resources, ability, and willingness to do research evolve
• The emergence of LGBT social identities and movement
affects the ability and willingness of funders, researchers,
and respondents to ask and answer questions
• Huge expansion in the number and size of probability
surveys that include questions on sexuality allowing us to
address new questions about correlates, outcomes, and
disparities
• Gender identity & transgender is one of the next steps
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For more information, contact:
[email protected]
Thank You!
Percent Same-Sex Partners Ever for Men and Women
18-44 in Selected U.S. National Surveys
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GSS – General Social Survey
NHSLS – National Health and
Social Life Survey
NSFG – National Survey of
Family Growth
Percent Same-Sex Partners Past Year for Men and
Women 18-44 in Selected U.S. National Surveys
GSS 1988-91
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Same-sex Partners Past Year by Age in NSFG
2002 and NSFG 2006-2010
25
26
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