One in 15 people – almost 7% of the UK population – changed their sexual identity over a six-year period, a new study suggests.
Women aged over 65 are one of the most “sexually fluid” groups, the research found, challenging the assumption that moving between heterosexual and non-heterosexual identities is more common among younger people.
Women, individuals who are not white, and less educated people were most likely to report a change in their sexual identity.
“We carried out this research because although we knew that sexual identity is fluid, we don’t know just how fluid it is,” said the study’s lead author, Prof Yang Hu of Lancaster University. “We also wanted to know how this fluidity varies across different demographic groups.”
Almost 23,000 individuals were observed twice over six years by researchers from Lancaster University, using data from the United Kingdom household longitudinal study.
Researchers found that a significant minority (6.6%) of the cohort had changed their reported sexual identity over that period. The study’s main findings show:
Sexual identity mobility is higher among young people aged 16–24 (7.9%) and older adults aged 65 and over (7.4%), compared with those aged 25–64 (5.0%–6.2%).
Sexual identity mobility is 10% less likely among men (5.7%) than women (6.3%).
Sexual identity mobility is three times more likely among non-white minority ethnic individuals (15.5%) than among white people (5.0%).
Sexual identity mobility is more likely among less educated people.
The rates of moving into and out of heterosexual identities are comparable.
The research is published this week in Demography, the journal of the Population Association of America.
Nicole Denier, of the University of Alberta in Canada and co-author of the report was particularly intrigued by the finding that sexual identity does not stabiliseover the life course.
“That assumption has given rise to much research focusing on adolescence as a critical stage of sexual identity development,” she said. “But our findings suggest that changes in sexual identity represent an equally worthy research topic among the elderly and indeed across the full life span.”
The research does not explore the reasons behind the changes in sexual identity but Hu hypothesised that people in middle life may be less likely to change their sexual identity because of pressure from the work environment and other social institutions.
“Existing theories suggest that rigid norms around ‘masculinity’ may mean that men may be less flexible and fluid in their sexual identity expressions,” she said. “Ethnic and racial minorities, and the less socioeconomically advantaged may be more susceptible to multiple forms of social pressure and minority stress, which may sway their identification and identity reports.”
The research was welcomed by the LGBT Foundation. “We hope that this research can challenge several societal assumptions – [and raises awareness] that people can come out more than once, that this is common, and that this should be respected as part of someone’s journey,” said Ibtisam Ahmed, head of policy and research.
“This research also challenges one of the assumptions that is prevalent in mainstream media/society at the moment that LGBTQ+ people tend to be younger or that it is seen as a ‘trend’ in young people,” Ahmed added. “This research clearly highlights that coming out can and does happen at any stage of life.”
