Asexuality: prevalence and associated factors in a national probability sample

Journal of Sex Research, August, 2004 by Anthony F. Bogaert

In the present study, I investigated asexuality, defined as having no attraction for males or females. The data came from a national probability sample of British residents (Johnson, Wadsworth, Wellings, & Field, 1994; Wellings, Field, Johnson, & Wadsworth, 1994) in which the prevalence and predictors (e.g., health, physical development, demographics, religiosity) of asexuality were investigated. This survey was stimulated by the need for sexual information about the general population in the wake of the AIDS epidemic, and it is among the most representative sexuality surveys of recent years (see Hyde & DeLamater, 2000). In addition, unlike other samples of its kind (e.g., Laumann et al., 1994), it contains relatively specific information relevant to the assessment of asexuality.

METHOD

Sample

Johnson et al. (1994) used a probability sample of households in Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland). In households where an eligible respondent--a person between the ages of 16 and 59--could be identified and interviewed, participation rate was 71.5%. The final sample contained 18,876 participants. Participants were interviewed and given one of two versions of a questionnaire: a long form to which a representative quarter of the sample responded (n = 4,548) or a short form to which the remainder responded. For this study, I used the total sample to maximize the number of cases. However, from the total of 18,876 cases, I eliminated 195 participants because the interviewers reported that these individuals had "severe" language, literacy, or other problems during the interview and questionnaire process.

Measure of Sexual Attraction and Asexuality

The measure of sexual attraction was introduced as follows: "I have felt sexually attracted to ..." Six options followed: (a) "only females, never to males" (male n = 7,482, female n = 28); (b) "more often to females, and at least once to a male" (male n = 321, female n = 21); (c) "about equally often to males and females" (male n = 45, female n = 21); (d) "more often to males, and at least once to a female" (male n = 42, female n = 406); (e) "only males, never to females" (male n = 42, female n = 9,969); and (f) "I have never felt sexually attracted to anyone at all" (male n = 57, female n = 138). Thirty-eight men and 63 women refused to answer this question and were thus eliminated from further analyses.

For the present study, I counted as asexuals those who responded to this sexual attraction question with "I have never felt sexually attracted to anyone at all." I categorized as "sexuals" the remaining participants--those reporting that they had felt attraction to either males, females, or both (male n = 7,932, female n = 10,494).

Predictors of Asexuality

The survey comprised three measures of sexuality: age of first experience, total partners, and sexual frequency. For the first of these measures, both men and women were asked about their age of first sexual experience with the other sex: "How old were you when you first had any type of experience of a sexual kind--for example, kissing, cuddling, petting--with someone of the opposite sex?" They were also asked about their first same-sex experience: "Have you ever had any kind of sexual experience or sexual contact with a male? (or "female" if the respondent was a woman)?" and "How old were you the first time that ever happened?" If the respondent had experience with both sexes, the earlier of the two ages was used; if the respondent had experience with only one sex, only that score was used. This measure was recorded in full years. Interviewers also asked for their total number of male and female sexual partners ("Altogether, in your life so far, with how many men [women] have you had sexual intercourse [vaginal, oral, or anal]?"). If the respondent had both male and female partners, the total of the two counts was used; if the respondent had only male or female partners, only that score was used. For frequency of sexual experiences with a partner, the participants were asked about their frequency of sexual activity with men and women over the last 7 days ("On how many occasions in the last 7 days have you had sex with a man [woman]?"). If the respondent had sex with both men and women in the last week, the total of the two frequencies was used; if the respondent had sex with only men or women, only that score was used. Unfortunately, there were no questions relevant to masturbation and fantasy during childhood, adolescence, or adulthood on the survey (Johnson et al., 1994; Wellings et al., 1994).