--- 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. title: Sexual Orientation Survey Finds 1.6% of Adults Identify as Gay image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt314161530a804743/69869bccf983e793f204ed26/500955279.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LGBT](/tag/lgbt/) ## LGBT Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # CDC Survey Finds 1.6% of Adults Identify as Gay ## 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](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 15, 2014 4:37 PM CUT  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 ParadeStacey Bramhall—Moment Editorial/Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 15, 2014 4:37 PM CUT **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 "undefined") 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 "undefined") [surveys](http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-How-Many-People-LGBT-Apr-2011.pdf "undefined"), 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. The survey was undertaken by the Centers for Disease Control’s National Health Information Survey. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2987183/gay-census-bisexual-cdc/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2987183/gay-census-bisexual-cdc/"},"headline":"CDC Survey Finds 1.6% of Adults Identify as Gay","datePublished":"2014-07-15T16:37:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:09:18.286Z","description":"Another 0.7% identified as bisexual, and 1.1% said \"something else\" or didn't answer","url":"https://time.com/2987183/gay-census-bisexual-cdc/","keywords":["LGBT","gay","sexuality","Census"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt314161530a804743/69869bccf983e793f204ed26/500955279.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt314161530a804743/69869bccf983e793f204ed26/500955279.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pride Week 2014","caption":"Pride Week 2014","creditText":"Stacey Bramhall—Moment Editorial/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/lgbt/","name":"LGBT"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2987183/gay-census-bisexual-cdc/","name":"CDC Survey Finds 1.6% of Adults Identify as Gay"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Edie and Thea: A Love Story","description":"Edith Windsor reflects on her life with late spouse, Thea Spyer, and the meaning of gay marriage","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Kc02dmNR/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-12-11T12:42:18.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Kc02dmNR.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/2987183/gay-census-bisexual-cdc/","duration":"PT4M37S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/2987183/gay-census-bisexual-cdc/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```