Where does the usual 5% estimate come from?

Question

Most of us have heard the 5% estimate for the proportion of LGBT people in the total population, but where does it come from? How can one measure this if a lot of people are in the closet? Many would not answer such a question if asked. Are there any other estimates? I heard that the religious right usually says 0.01% and Kinsey estimated much higher than 10%. I'm really curious about how to come up with a credible estimate.

Answer 1

I am unaware of a usual 5% estimate, but may know where you are getting the figure from. Most studies have shown that the percentage of gay men is 10%, but that only half of those are out of the closet. Due to that, it can be conferred that 5% of men are openly gay. Also, the 1993 Janus study sated the percentage of lesbians was 5%.

The Kinsey Reports of 1948 and 1953 stated 37% of males and 13% of females had homosexual experiences, but this includes incidental homosexual experience. The study reported 10% of males being more or less exclusively homosexual and 2% to 6% of females being more or less exclusively homosexual.
A 1990 study (Homosexuality/Heterosexuality by McWhirter, Sanders, and Reinisch) stated 13.95% of males and 4.25% of females had "extensive" or "more than incidental" homosexual experience.
A 1993 study (The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior) found 9% of men and 5% of women were involved in frequent or ongoing homosexual experiences, but only 4% of men and 2% of women called themselves homosexual. This difference can be attributed as those who were 'out' and those who were 'closeted'.

It appears that the number of male homosexuals is approximately 10% and the number of female homosexuals is approximately 4%. It also appears that only half of those who are truly homosexual are "out".

Answer 2

This is just a number society comes with. We are curios and we need answers otherwise we start search and maybe botther someone so 5% is a random number gave you by the guverment so you will move along in society and stop waisting the production time with stupid things. The real number is unbeliveble, we are 80% gay, most of the people have gay fantessis or think about gay sex. eventualy the more curios even try. So you see there is no numbee there is only the number you want to create. the truth is that we dont know, nobady know. What is gay any way? we are all gay more or less, some of us are more gay than others, I think we give to much importance to the fact that some people like difrent things to be happy.
Having sex with the same sex is difrent than having sex with difren sex but is still sex is still producing plesure. We need to stop giving it more importance than we give to regular sex, other wise this is going to grow into a big civil war between gay and straight '' withc have gay fantessis but they are afraid of themm''
We are all people- souls energys, energy does not have dik or pussssy or asssshole When we have sex we add each other energy. People we need to understand that people have sex and all kind of sex should be alowed. It nake the partners feel good then is good. everybody shoud have sex with everybody, gys with guys guys with women women with women and if animals would have the power to speak and they would agree they would participate too. We have to think at what make us happy and once we find out it should be no boundary.

Answer 3

Kinsey actually did a huge volume of research on men, across the board, rating them on a scale of 1-6 for sexuality....fully 1/3rd fell into fully bisexual, and he thought the number to be more accurate at 60% or higher. He studies indicate that 10-12% of all people are homosexual exclusively. Any other figures are pure conjecture, for no other huge studies have been done.

Answer 4

I've always heard the estimate of 10%, actually. and I believe that's based just upon people who are actually out. if everyone who was gay or lesbian was out, I'm sure that number would be much higher. but, considering the hatred and gay bashing that still exists ( and in some countries, execution of people simply for being gay), it's going to take a long time before everyone is comfortable (or safe) coming out.

Answer 5

do you want to make sure you were counted? its called demographics. the scientific way of studying human behavior. not 100% accurate but usually close. and the religious right still believe that god created the world in six days and we all came from adam and eve. and chris is quoting from a study thats 13 years old. since then society has been much more open to homosexuals. if you really want to know, do a random poll of 100 people

Answer 6

i've NEVER heard 5%, its always been 10% in the american media, where are you located? i would say the 1 in 10 is probably accurate, thats those who identify as homosexual, bisexual is not included in that estimate or it would be MUCH higher.

Answer 7

And here I thought the rule was 1 in 10...
Really, I don't think there are any decent numbers out there.

Answer 8

The number is VERY hard to pin down.

In reality the number of adult men who have had sexual conduct with another man in their adult lives is more like 35-50%. To me that is the number that fuels homophobia. These are men who fooled around with a college roommate, enjoyed it, and still feel guilty about it.

Answer 9

actually its 1-3%. Don't let the propaganda fool you.