Data were drawn from the 2022–2023 National Survey of Family Growth. The combined male and female sample included 9,957 respondents ages 15–49, of whom 9,653 provided valid sexual-orientation responses. Respondents identified as gay or lesbian, straight, bisexual, or something else. For this analysis, “not straight” included all categories other than straight.
Weighted estimates revealed a pronounced age pattern, particularly among women. More than one-third of women ages 20–24 did not identify as straight, compared with approximately 14% of men in the same age group. The percentage generally declined with age among both sexes, but the decline was considerably greater among women.
Unweighted point-biserial correlations supported these patterns. Age was positively associated with identifying as straight among men, (r_{pb}=.051,\ p<.001), and women, (r_{pb}=.203,\ p<.001). The association was significantly stronger among women, Fisher’s (z=7.55,\ p<.001).
These results describe cross-sectional age differences and should not be interpreted as showing that individuals become more likely to identify as straight as they grow older. The pattern may reflect generational differences in sexual identity, willingness to adopt or report particular identity labels, or other cohort-related social changes.
