Sexuality: One-Third Of Young Americans, Brits More Open Sexually

Over the years, many countries have tried to compartmentalize sexuality into a strict set of guidelines: You're either heterosexual or you're homosexual. It's as simple as black and white. But thanks to new research involving the Kinsey scale, also known as the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale, we now know that there's a bit more of a spectrum to sexuality than was once believed.

Data released on August 15 from a YouGov UK poll asked respondents in the United Kingdom to rate themselves on the Kinsey scale, which was developed by Alfred Kinsey--a well-known sex researcher. The scale ranges from (0), meaning that the subject is "exclusively heterosexual," to (6) meaning that the subject is "exclusively homosexual."

The majority of respondents did not identify themselves as gay or straight. The study showed that 23 percent of Brits identified themselves somewhere from one to six or somewhere other than exclusively heterosexual; this was particularly common among younger adults. For instance, about half of British youth from 18 to 24 identified within the one to six range on the Kinsey scale.

The same poll was also conducted in the United States with strikingly similar results. A third of young Americans also between 18 and 24 scored somewhere between (1) and (6), putting them in the spectrum between not completely gay or straight.

However, the same could not be said of older respondents. Eight percent or less over 45 said they were somewhere on the scale of bisexuality, according to YouGov US.

Twelve percent of heterosexual American adults also said that they have had a sexual experience with someone of the same sex, with 15 percent of straight women twice as likely as straight men (8 percent) having had a sexual encounter with someone of the same sex.

What do the results mean? The poll has brought up many questions among experts. Is this unusual? Perhaps the signs of a natural evolution or are people just more open about their sexuality these days? And will someone who isn't gay or straight--nor bisexual--necessarily act on a slight attraction to the same sex? 

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