Gay survey returns surprising results

General Science

A recent Zogby poll suggests 47 percent of all Americans surveyed believe all people have the potential to be sexually attracted to members of both sexes.

The nationwide poll, commissioned by Scientific American MIND magazine, showed only 11 percent of those asked believe one's sexual orientation is a conscious choice, while 34 percent said they believe sexual orientation is determined by both choice and other factors. Six percent weren't sure.

While expressing a widespread belief that sexual orientation is not an active choice, 47 percent of respondents, a slight plurality, agreed with the statement, "I believe that all people have the potential to be sexually attracted to members of both sexes." But a distinct majority, 53 percent, said they believe "a straight person may occasionally experience sexual attraction to individuals of the same sex."

The survey and an accompanying article appear in the February-March issue of American Scientific MIND.

The margin of error for the Zogby survey, which included 4,236 interviews, is plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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