--- title: Sexual Orientation Survey Finds 1.6% of Adults Identify as Gay description: For the first time in 57 years the U.S. Census Bureau has surveyed adults on their sexual orientation, and the results published Tuesday show that 1.6% of adults identified as gay, while another 0.7% identified as bisexual. canonical: https://time.com/2987183/gay-census-bisexual-cdc/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-15T16:37:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:28.029Z article:section: Health og:title: Sexual Orientation Survey Finds 1.6% of Adults Identify as Gay og:description: For the first time in 57 years the U.S. Census Bureau has surveyed adults on their sexual orientation, and the results published Tuesday show that 1.6% of adults identified as gay, while another 0.7% identified as bisexual. og:url: https://time.com/2987183/gay-census-bisexual-cdc/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt314161530a804743/69869bccf983e793f204ed26/500955279.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2048 og:image:height: 1152 og:image:alt: Pride Week 2014 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sexual Orientation Survey Finds 1.6% of Adults Identify as Gay twitter:description: For the first time in 57 years the U.S. Census Bureau has surveyed adults on their sexual orientation, and the results published Tuesday show that 1.6% of adults identified as gay, while another 0.7% identified as bisexual. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt314161530a804743/69869bccf983e793f204ed26/500955279.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # CDC Survey Finds 1.6% of Adults Identify as Gay > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Edie and Thea: A Love Story [Watch (HLS stream): Edie and Thea: A Love Story](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Kc02dmNR.m3u8) (4:37)  _Published 2013-12-11. Edith Windsor reflects on her life with late spouse, Thea Spyer, and the meaning of gay marriage_  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jul 15, 2014 4:37 PM UTC  People carrying a giant rainbow flag in New York City's Pride Parade People carrying a giant rainbow flag in New York City's Pride Parade Stacey Bramhall—Moment Editorial/Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jul 15, 2014 4:37 PM UTC **Correction** appended July 22. For the first time in 57 years the Centers for Disease Control’s National Health Information Survey has surveyed adults on their sexual orientation, and the [results](http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr077.pdf) published Tuesday show that 1.6% of adults aged 18 or over identified as gay, while another 0.7% identified as bisexual. The figures were slightly lower than the findings from [previous](http://www.gallup.com/poll/158066/special-report-adults-identify-lgbt.aspx) [surveys](http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-How-Many-People-LGBT-Apr-2011.pdf), which had estimated that the LGBT population comprised 3.4 to 4% of the population. An additional 1.1% of respondents identified as ‘‘something else,’’ stated ‘‘I don’t know the answer,’’ or refused to provide an answer. The CDC said its statistics would help researchers to identify and address health disparities between gay and straight adults. The report identified elevated levels of smoking and drinking among respondents who identified as gay, as well as a higher likelihood of meeting federal fitness guidelines. **Correction:** The original version of this story incorrectly attributed the data to the wrong source. 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