Attitudes toward Bisexual Men and Women among a Nationally Representative Probability Sample of Adults in the United States

Abstract

As bisexual individuals in the United States (U.S.) face significant health disparities, researchers have posited that these differences may be fueled, at least in part, by negative attitudes, prejudice, stigma, and discrimination toward bisexual individuals from heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals. Previous studies of individual and social attitudes toward bisexual men and women have been conducted almost exclusively with convenience samples, with limited generalizability to the broader U.S. population. Our study provides an assessment of attitudes toward bisexual men and women among a nationally representative probability sample of heterosexual, gay, lesbian, and other-identified adults in the U.S. Data were collected from the 2015 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), via an online questionnaire with a probability sample of adults (18 years and over) from throughout the U.S. We included two modified 5-item versions of the Bisexualities: Indiana Attitudes Scale (BIAS), validated sub-scales that were developed to measure attitudes toward bisexual men and women. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gamma regression, and paired t-tests. Gender, sexual identity, age, race/ethnicity, income, and educational attainment were all significantly associated with participants' attitudes toward bisexual individuals. In terms of responses to individual scale items, participants were most likely to “neither agree nor disagree” with all attitudinal statements. Across sexual identities, self-identified other participants reported the most positive attitudes, while heterosexual male participants reported the least positive attitudes. As in previous research on convenience samples, we found a wide range of demographic characteristics were related with attitudes toward bisexual individuals in our nationally-representative study of heterosexual, gay/lesbian, and other-identified adults in the U.S. In particular, gender emerged as a significant characteristic; female participants’ attitudes were more positive than male participants’ attitudes, and all participants’ attitudes were generally more positive toward bisexual women than bisexual men. While recent population data suggest a marked shift in more positive attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women in the general population of the U.S., the largest proportions of participants in our study reported a relative lack of agreement or disagreement with all affective-evaluative statements in the BIAS scales. Findings document the relative lack of positive attitudes toward bisexual individuals among the general population of adults in the U.S. and highlight the need for developing intervention approaches to promote more positive attitudes toward bisexual individuals, targeted toward not only heterosexual but also gay/lesbian individuals and communities.

Exploring the Sexual Development Experiences of Black Bisexual Male Adolescents Over Time

“…Prior work exploring the sexual identity development experiences of sexual minority adolescents has failed to understand the sexual development of youth who may exist at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, such as Black and bisexual (Dubé & Savin-Williams, 1999; Jamil, Harper,& Fernandez, 2009; Rosario, Schrimshaw,& Hunter, 2004,2008; Rosario, Schrimshaw, Hunter,& Braun, 2006; Toomey, Huynh, Jones, Lee, & Revels-Macalinao, 2017; Wade & Harper, 2015). Past work suggests that bisexual youth of color, including Black bisexual male adolescents (BBMA), may have significant and unmet sexual and reproductive as well as mental health needs during sexual development (Chun & Singh, 2010; Dodge et al, 2016; Friedman et al, 2014; Saewyc et al, 2009), which are unique and distinct from those adolescents who identify as gay, lesbian or heterosexual (Friedman et al, 2014; Mereish, Katz-Wise, & Woulfe, 2017). Understanding the context of sexual orientation development in BBMA may uncover key insights into opportunities for programmatic intervention in this population.…”

“…Marginalization may stem from pervasive stigmas about Black men including stereotypes of hyper-sexuality and hypermasculinity and lived experiences of racism (Fields et al, 2015). Marginalization regarding sexual identity may stem from pervasive expectation and stereotypes of bisexuals, especially bisexual males, as being in a transitional phase (transitional bisexuality), thus eventually identifying exclusively as gay or heterosexual (Dodge et al, 2016; Friedman etal., 2014; Saewycetal., 2009). The theoretical framework intersectionality posits that social identities, including but not limited to, gender, race, and sexual identity intersect exposing deep vulnerabilities and social inequalities (Bowleg, 2013; Crenshaw, 1989; Davis, 2008; Hill-Collins, 1991).…”

Meta-Perceptions of Others’ Attitudes Toward Bisexual Men and Women Among a Nationally Representative Probability Sample

“…: Straight/heterosexual; gay, lesbian, or homosexual; bisexual; asexual (I am not sexually attracted to others); other, please describe.” Only respondents who self-identified as “bisexual” completed BIAS-b scale items. The demographics of gay, lesbian, asexual, heterosexual, and other participants from the 2015 NSSHB survey have been reported elsewhere and, being a nationally representative sample, the demographics of the total sample closely reflect those of the U.S. population (Dodge et al, 2016). …”

“…The 2015 NSSHB included the BIAS-m and BIAS-f, which assesses perceptions of bisexual women and men among non-bisexual groups, as well as the BIAS-b which focused on bisexual persons’ perceptions of how others view bisexuality (meta-perceptions). The design of the study and description of respondents included in the study population analyzed here have been previously described (Dodge et al, 2016). Briefly, we collected data via the KnowledgePanel of GfK Research (GfK) (Menlo Park, CA).…”

“…Bisexual individuals are not only affected by stigma targeting gay and lesbian individuals (e.g., homonegativity, homophobia, heterosexism), but also stigma specifically directed toward bisexual people from heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals (e.g., binegativity, biphobia) (Herek, 2009; Israel & Mohr, 2004). Multiple reports, including those based on nationally representative probability samples, have indicated that both heterosexual individuals and gay and lesbian individuals hold negative attitudes toward bisexual individuals (Dodge et al, 2016; Helms & Waters, 2016; Herek, 2002; Roberts, Horne, & Hoyt, 2015). Despite the known influence of stigma on the meta-perceptions and mental health of members of stigmatized groups (Frey & Tropp, 2006; Hatzenbuehler, 2016, 2017), few studies have explored the meta-perceptions of bisexual individuals regarding how others view their bisexuality (Brewster, 2010; Paul, 2014), and none to our knowledge have attempted to do so via probability-based sampling frames.…”