Statistics: Daft Data

In 2014, 1.6% of adults in the UK identified their sexual identity as lesbian, gay or bisexual.
 
The likelihood of an adult identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual decreased with age. Around 2.6% of adults aged 16 to 24 years identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual. This decreased to 0.6% of adults aged 65 and over.
 
Around 0.5% of adults identified themselves as bisexual, with women (0.7%) being twice as likely as men to do so (0.3%).
 
London had the highest percentage of adults identifying themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual, at 2.6%.

From the latest Integrated Household Survey, Office For National Statistics.

 
You can also see breakdowns by age, gender, region, country, occupation, and err, cigarette smoking, for what it's worth (not much).

Marriage: We Don't

More than 1,400 same-sex marriages have taken place in the UK in the three months since they were made legal, official figures have revealed.

The statistics are the first measure of the popularity of David Cameron's legal changes that were passed in 2013 despite opposition by some prominent Conservative MPs.

There was a rush of couples tying the knot after the law came into force at midnight on 29 March. Over the next two days there were 95 same-sex weddings, with 351 in April, 465 in May and 498 in June, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics...

The number of women marrying outnumbered men, with 796 female couples compared with 613 male couples. The average age of women marrying was 37, more than a year younger than that of men...

The Guardian.

As these figures are for the first period ever that same-sex couples could get married, it's safe to assume this will probably represent a splurge and the figures will settle down to something significantly lower.

But the latest ONS statistics on straight marriage show there are about 65,000 each quarter - that's almost 50 times higher.

Which could mean there aren't actually that many gay people [see Fagburn passim].

Or that we're just not that interested in getting married.

Or maybe it's a bit of both?

WHO CAN BILLY WELL SAY!!???

PS Fagburn will be setting up a crowdfunding thingy for his own gaywedding shortly. In the meantime feel free to send me money via PayPal. x

Update: Spookily enough, the Susan Calman Is Convicted episode 'Equal marriage' was repeated today. Please listen, it's fucking hilarious.

The Daily Mail: Stupid Surveys R Us!

'Geordies are the 'straightest' Brits as sexuality map shows London has highest number of homosexuals in the country'

According to the Mail you "say" you're straight, but "admit" you're gay.
Or "homosexual", apparently.

The Daily Mail are quoting the Office For National Statistics - but the Mail are proven liars on "quoting" the Office For National Statistics.
Maybe, it's true - surveys like this are usually daft and misleading, whatever - can't check it till Monday.
I know - a gay journalist actually checking if a story in The Daily Mail is true!!!
It's insane!

Update: Here's the data.
Fagburn say: As a general rule surveys tend to underestimate the numbers of gay men.
Just as gay men and the gay press tend to overestimate the number of gay men...

The Daily Mail: We Tell Lies For A Living

A very nice man at the Office For National Statistics has kindly sent me a link to the "Survey" on opposition to gay marriage as cited in The Daily Mail article 'Conservative UK: Most Britons still oppose gay marriage'
There's a pdf here.
And as I pointed out it's five years old, so the use of the word "still" is quite bafflingly mad.
And people weren't actually asked "Do you support gay marriage?"
And it's got nothing to do with the Office of National Statistics - it's just mentioned in a footnote (number 31).
Strictly entre-nous, I get the impression ONS are as pissed off with this as the rest of us.
The Mail is refusing to print corrections to this crapola - and is even blocking people from pointing out it is a total fiction on its message boards.
And if you think the Press Complaints Commission are going to do anything you're stupid.
So why not phone up the man who made this crap up - Steve Doughty - directly on 020 7938 6340 or email steve.doughty@dailymail.co.uk and tell the lying fucker how you feel?
And it is shameful that some braindead jerk at The Pink Paper or The Advocate can just reprint this crap without questioning it.
Your gay press at work!
FFS!

Update: Sorry, I should have said that the actual FACTS on that ONS report make for very interesting reading.