The sex survey: Same-sex attraction highest among women

Women who responded to The Irish Times sex survey were more likely to identify as bisexual rather than lesbian, while the converse applied to male respondents. Photograph: Thinkstock/Getty Images

A striking finding of The Irish Times sex survey is that same-sex attraction among heterosexual women is far higher than previously thought, with 45 per cent of 17- to 34-year-old heterosexual women – nearly half – having been attracted to another woman.

“This ability to experience sexual attraction to the same sex as well as to the opposite sex is referred to as ‘sexual fluidity’,” says Dr Geraldine Moane, director of the higher diploma in psychology at University College Dublin. “Research has generally found that a much higher percentage of women experience attraction to other women compared with the percentage of men who experience attraction to other men.”

The Irish Times sex survey: have you felt same-sex attraction?

Base: all heterosexual sexually active participants who answered this question. 

Total (all heterosexual participants)Total femaleFemale 17 to 24Female 25 to 34Female 35 to 49Female 50 to 64Total maleMale 17 to 24Male 25 to 34Male 35 to 49Male 50 to 64

No74%

Yes26%

Total:
10,199

The Irish Times sex survey: do you enjoy sex?

Base: all sexually active participants.The number of respondents in each category is in the centre of the donut chart.

Sexually active (all)Female (sexually active)Female (heterosexual)Female (homosexual)*Female (bisexual)*Male (sexually active)Male (heterosexual)Male (homosexual)Male (bisexual)*Female 17 to 24Female 25 to 34Female 35 to 49Female 50 to 64Male 17 to 24Male 25 to 34Male 35 to 49Male 50 to 64Male 65 plus

No, I never/rarely enjoy it

No, I never/rarely enjoy it

Yes, I really enjoy it59%

I enjoy it most of the time34%

6%

I could take it or leave it/neutral

No, not particularly (1%)

No, I never/rarely enjoy it (0%)

Total:
11,776

The Irish Times sex survey: are you happy with your sex life?

Base: All participants. The number of survey participants in each category is shown in the centre of the donut chart. 

OverallVirgins*Sexually active (all)Female (sexually active)Female (heterosexual)Female (homosexual)*Female (bisexual)*Male (sexually active)Male (heterosexual)Male (homosexual)Male (bisexual)*Female 17 to 24 (sexually active)Female 25 to 34 (sexually active)Female 35 to 49 (sexually active)Female 50 to 64 (sexually active)Male 17 to 24 (sexually active)Male 25 to 34 (sexually active)Male 35 to 49 (sexually active)Male 50 to 64 (sexually active)

I am very dissatisfied

I am very dissatisfied

I am very happy34%

I am somewhat happy32%

I am somewhat dissatisfied17%

9%

I am neither happy nor unhappy

8%

I am very dissatisfied

Total:
12,134

The Irish Times sex survey was conducted on irishtimes.com over the course of a week in June 2015. A total of 12,639 participants completed the survey (a 71 per cent completion rate), with 12,134 responses used in the follow-up analysis. Over 500 responses were excluded, the vast majority because the participant was under the age of 17 (below the required age to take part) or where it was obvious that false information had been provided. Click here to view the full results, with interactive graphics.

The survey was carried out among self-selecting individuals. It is not a weighted survey and does not purport to be accurately representative of the wider population, biased as it is towards certain age groups (over two-thirds of those who took the survey were between the age of 24 and 50) and towards those who are more sexually active. Therefore all results should be seen as indicative rather than definitive.

10:04