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Scientist makes shocking prediction on how many people are actually bisexual without knowing it

Home> News> Sex & Relationships

Published 19:42 25 Feb 2025 GMT

Scientist makes shocking prediction on how many people are actually bisexual without knowing it

A 2021 study found that four percent of the global population identified as bisexual

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

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Sexuality isn't as black and white as some people might think, according to this study.

Over the last few years, the amount of people who identify as bisexual has doubled in the UK.

In 2018, 0.9 percent of the population (aged 16 and over) said they were attracted to both sexes. Fast forward to 2014 and 1.8 percent said they were sexually attracted to men and women, making up around 987,000 of UK residents.

Meanwhile, across the pond, of all the people who identified as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a 2022 survey, 58 percent of these were bisexual, said The Hill.

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But the number of people who are bisexual could be even higher than we thought.

Dr Jason Hodgson, anthropologist and evolutionary geneticist at Anglia Ruskin University, has argued that a lot of people are in what he dubbed as the 'bisexual range'.

It's long been understood that sexuality is a spectrum: one end being 100 percent heterosexual, with the other end being 100 percent homosexual.

There are a handful of different spectrums, but all in all they all agree that 'the idea that people’s sexual identities and orientations are complex and resist easy classification', says WebMD.

With this in mind, Dr Hodgson says that a lot of people aren't fully straight or gay.

More and more people are identifying as bisexual as each year passes (Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
More and more people are identifying as bisexual as each year passes (Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

"I predict that most people should actually be bisexual,' he told MailOnline.

"The genes that influence same sex sexual behaviour are probably just genes that influence general sociality, and people in the middle of the range of variation are probably better at all social relationships.

"Therefore people who would engage in same-sex sexual behaviour in some situations are probably also better at forming heterosexual relationships."

In Dr Hodgson's mind, the spectrum is 0 to 1. For example, a person with a value of zero would have 0 percent same-sex experiences and 100 percent heterosexual experiences, explains Mail Online.

In comparison, a person with a value of 1 would have 100 percent same-sex experiences and 0 percent heterosexual experiences.

It's said that a person's sexuality is on a spectrum (Getty Stock)
It's said that a person's sexuality is on a spectrum (Getty Stock)

"Those are the homosexual and heterosexual extremes of the scale," Dr Hodgson further explained.

"Everything in between would be in the bisexual range – some proportion of same sex, and some proportion of opposite sex sexual experiences. So if a person had one homosexual experience and 99 heterosexual experiences their value would be 1/100 or 0.01 – just slightly in the bisexual range."

He added: "I suspect most people would be slightly in the bisexual range if given the right social circumstances."

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images

Topics: LGBTQ, Science, News, Sex and Relationships

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

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@niamhshackleton

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