UK bisexuality study finds attitudes and dating preferences diverge
YouGov finds 48% of Britons positive about bisexual people, while dating preferences vary widely depending on sexuality and age.
New research for Bisexual Visibility Day (23rd September) has found 48% of Britons have a positive opinion of bisexual people, while 41% feel neither positively nor negatively and 8% have a negative view. But when people are asked whether they would personally date somebody bisexual, a different pattern emerges.
One of the clearest differences is among straight women. Two-thirds said they would be unwilling to date a bisexual man, compared with 35% of straight men who said they would not date a bisexual woman. Even among straight women who described their opinion of bisexual people as “very positive”, 46% said they would still be unwilling to date a bisexual man.
Age also makes a difference. Among straight women aged 18 to 34, 47% said they would be unwilling to date a bisexual man, rising to 77% among those aged 55 and over. Among straight men, the equivalent figures were 19% and 47%.
The pattern can also be seen among lesbian and gay respondents. Overall, 20% of lesbian women said they would be unwilling to date a bisexual woman, compared with 11% of gay men who said they would be unwilling to date a bisexual man.
Among lesbian women aged 18 to 34, that figure fell to 10%, compared with 21% among those aged 35 to 54. It reached 53% among lesbian women aged 55 and over, although YouGov cautions that this figure is based on a small sample of 76 respondents.
The age difference was smaller among gay men. Just 5% of those aged 18 to 34 said they would be unwilling to date a bisexual man, rising to 18% among those aged 55 and over.
YouGov also asked straight men and women who were unwilling to date a bisexual person to explain why in their own words. Some described insecurity, including concerns about infidelity or feeling they might not be able to give a bisexual partner everything they wanted. Others simply said they wanted their partner to be straight, while smaller groups mentioned previous same-sex relationships, health concerns, religion or morality.
Dating remains a personal choice, and being unwilling to date somebody does not automatically mean a person holds negative views about bisexual people. The research instead highlights how someone’s general attitude towards bisexuality does not necessarily predict the choices they say they would make in their own relationships.
Published by YouGov on September 22 for Bisexual Visibility Day on September 23, the research also shows younger respondents were generally more willing to date bisexual people across several of the groups examined.
Source: YouGov research, although YouGov has not yet published the accompanying full data tables.
