Summary
Published Date: February 15, 2018
Authors of the article find sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) are two demographic and personal dimensions that have received relatively little attention in large-scale surveys and official statistics, despite recent advances in social, cultural, and legal equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. While eleven federal surveys and one study -- most within the Department of Health and Human Services -- include some measure of SOGI, gender identity is measured much less often, with only six of these 12 surveys/studies measuring gender identity.
Authors discuss developments in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which since 2014 has included an official optional SOGI module, but also allows individual states to include their own SOGI measures. The General Social Survey also has a long history in SO measurement and has asked about sexual behavior since 1988 and a sexual identity question since 2008. The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) has asked about sexual identity and sexual behavior since 2001, and GI since 2015. Notably, many surveys only ask these questions of adults, although CHIS now asks gender expression of teens. Authors outline general advice and best practices for measuring SOGI and sampling the LGBT population. They conclude with a section on frequently asked questions regarding SOGI measurement.Publication Authors:
- Matt Jans, PhD
- Bianca D.M. Wilson
- Jody Heymann