1 in 20 adults identify as LGBT+ in major social survey

According to the latest annual Household Economic Survey, about 1 in 20 adults in Aotearoa (4.2 percent) identified as being LGBT+, Stats NZ said today.

Of the total adult population, 0.8 percent identified as transgender or another gender/non-binary (that is, had a gender that is different from their sex recorded at birth) and 3.7 reported being a sexual identity other than heterosexual (gay or lesbian, bisexual, or another sexual identity).

The Household Economic Survey (HES) for the year ended June 2020 was the first HES to reflect inclusive questions on gender and sexual identity.

LGBT+ population of Aotearoa: Year ended June 2020, published today, has data and information about the LGBT+ population.

“This is the first time Stats NZ has been able to report detailed statistics based on gender and sexual identities. People’s sense of their gender and sexual identity matters to them and we are pleased to be able to reflect the experience of a greater range of New Zealanders,” social and population insights general manager Jason Attewell said.

New sexual identity wellbeing data reflects diversity of New Zealanders, published in 2019, was based on the 2018 General Social Survey, which was the first social survey to provide insights on sexual identity.

The LGBT+ population is younger than the general population, with more than half (54.2 percent) under 35 years of age.

Age groupPercent
18-2422.5
25-2919.4
30-3412.3
35-39 8.2
40-447.8
45-49 7.4
50-54 5.2
55-59 5.2
60-64 4
65 and over8.2
19.825.2
16.422.4
10.214.4
610.4
5.410.2
5.89
3.96.5
3.76.7
2.55.5
6.410

The proportion of Māori in the LGBT+ population was 19.2 percent, which was higher than the proportion of Māori in the non-LGBT+ population (13.5 percent). This is consistent with the younger-age profiles of both Māori and the LGBT+ population.

LGBT+ people were more likely than non-LGBT+ to be identified as disabled.

Furthermore, LGBT+ people were:

  • more than twice as likely to report daily feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and worry (26.3 percent) than the non-LGBT+ population (11.0 percent)
  • almost three times as likely to report daily feelings of depression (9.8 percent) than the non-LGBT+ population (3.4 percent).

With younger people typically earning less than older people, incomes of LGBT+ people were lower than the non-LGBT+ population.

Additionally, LGBT+ people’s housing costs were higher than the non-LGBT+ population. The LGBT+ population was more likely to rent than the non-LGBT+ population.

LGBT+ people were more likely to hold higher educational qualifications than the non-LGBT+ population, with 36.1 percent of the LGBT+ population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

“This new information can help inform policy making and support further research on the different experiences and outcomes for the LGBT+ population,” Mr Attewell said.

The HES questionnaire allowed people to specify their own description of gender and sexual identity. Agender, gender fluid, genderqueer, and takatāpui were all answers provided as genders, while answers on sexual identities provided in the survey included asexual, pansexual, and demisexual.

“We would like to thank our more than 31,000 survey respondents, including those who took the time to set out their own description of their gender and sexual identity,” Mr Attewell said.

As the HES in the year to June 2020 did not include a variations of sex characteristics question, statistics are not available for the intersex population. A question on variations of sex characteristics will be included in the 2023 Census and in future social surveys.

The information available on the LGBT+ population will be further increased, as questions on gender and sexual identity will be asked in future social surveys and the 2023 Census.

“With the new questions in the 2023 Census, we will be able to say with more accuracy how many people make up the broader LGBTI+ community in Aotearoa and provide more detailed insights,” Mr Attewell said.

2023 Census first to collect gender and sexual identity from everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand has more about the new questions.

Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand has more information on intersex people.

/Stats NZ Public Release. View in full here.