A chara, – Your editorial on The Irish Times survey (July 1st) says: "Among the significant results was that 11 per cent of women and 13 per cent of men were homosexual or bisexual. Contrast this to the Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI Family Values survey conducted earlier this year. In that survey, 3 per cent of respondents were homosexual, lesbian or bisexual. This is, according to one of our psychosexual therapist advisors, Teresa Bergin, possibly a sign that following the referendum people are more willing to be honest about their sexual orientation."
“Possibly” – yes, perhaps that is one factor.
Far more important, however, is what your report on the survey emphasises: “The survey was carried out among self-selecting individuals. It is not a weighted survey and does not purport to be accurately representative of the wider population, biased as it is towards certain age groups (more than two-thirds of those who took the survey were between the age of 24 and 50) and towards those who are more sexually active.”
A self-selecting survey does not give reliability comparable to a representative sample survey like the Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI survey.
In the UK, statistics from the Integrated Household Survey (2013) found 1.2 per cent of adults identified themselves as gay or lesbian and 0.5 per cent identified themselves as bisexual. Total 1.7 per cent.
It is far more likely that the figures in the earlier Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI are closer to the reality. – Is mise, PÁDRAIG McCARTHY Sandyford, Dublin 16.
Sir, – Frank Byrne’s letter of July 1st made me laugh so much I nearly spilled my morning coffee. Does anyone answer these sex surveys truthfully? – Yours, etc, BID O’GORMAN Thomastown, Co Kilkenny.
Sir, – Your online sex survey (Health & Family, June 30th) shows that 3 per cent of heterosexual males “could take it or leave it”.
Well, isn’t it fine for them? – Yours, etc, PÁDRAIC HARVEY An Cheathrú Rua, Co na Gaillimhe.