Binghamton Research Days Student Presentations

Trending Queer Study - Additional Data Supporting Rising Queer Identification/Attraction/Behavior in Emerging Adult Women 

Authors: Claire Goldstein, Eden Lowinger, Casey Adrian, Yi Qian, Briana Lopez-Patino

Field of Study: Social Sciences

Affiliation: Binghamton Human Sexualities Lab 

Mentor: Sean Massey, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Abstract

Sexual orientation is a socially constructed phenomenon which is influenced by the changing social and political landscapes. This study builds on findings from a previous study (n=5062),  exploring trends in the sexual orientation demographics of emerging adult college students across nine-years (2011-2019).  Since that data was published, three more years of data have been collected. In the collection of this data, researchers used Klein’s (1978) measures to assess sexual attraction, behavior, and identity along seven-point scales. These data were analyzed using cu­mulative logit models comparing sex assigned at birth and dimensions of sexual orientation. The results of the 2011-2019 study showed the percentages of non-exclusively heterosexual women to be steadily increasing. Surveys completed by an additional 2,430 undergraduate students over the three following years (2020-2022) contribute data that supports the rising trend of non-exclusively heterosexual women. This study explores the numerous factors related to this shift.