Survey reveals more Australians are identifying as ‘other than’ heterosexual

A new survey of more than 2000 Australians has given insight into the one question the ABS has never asked – and may be about to find out.

A new survey of more than 2000 Australians has given insight into one question the Australian Bureau of Statistics has never asked.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed on Sunday the 2026 census will include questions on sexuality and gender for the first time ever, after backlash over the Albanese government’s decision to omit them.

“LGBTIQ+ Australians matter. They have been heard and they will count in the 2026 census,” Mr Chalmers told ABC’s Insiders program.

The findings of the Body+Soul 2024 Sex Census, which surveyed 2029 Aussies aged 18 to 75+ to reveal what’s really going on in bedrooms across the country, has offered an idea of what the answers to that question could be.

Asked how they’d describe their sexual orientation, 91 per cent of Baby Boomer and Silent Generation respondents described it as heterosexual (or straight) – as opposed to about two thirds (66 per cent) of Gen Z participants.

Australians across the board who identify as other than straight or bisexual has increased since 2019, when Body+Soul last held its Sex Census.

Participating for the first time in this year’s survey, 29 per cent of Gen Z respondents identified as “other than straight”, 12 per cent identified as bisexual, and six per cent as homosexual.

Meanwhile, 76 per cent of Millennials and 84 per cent of Gen X participants identified as straight (versus 74 per cent and 88 per cent respectively in the 2019 Sex Census).

Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed on Sunday the 2026 census will include questions on sexuality and gender for the first time ever. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dylan Coker

Australians across the board who identify as other than straight or bisexual has increased since 2019. Picture: iStock

Sexologist Georgia Grace told Body+Soul the latest stats not only are a reflection of who individuals choose to love, but also their evolving attitudes to monogamy and relationships in general.

“Everything’s changing. (Even) the way that religion informs relationships is changing,” Georgia, also the co-founder of sexual wellness company Normal, said.

“People are no longer staying in relationships that feel unhealthy or unfulfilling and enduring it. If you think about a few generations or a few decades ago, a lot of people would just put up with unfulfilling relationships, because that’s what you, quote-unquote, had to do.”

In regards to the 2026 census, LGBTIQ+ rights group Equality Australia welcomed the inclusion of the new topic, saying it would “capture trans and gender-diverse people”.

“This is the sensible, pragmatic and moral course of action, that will ensure vital data about some of the most vulnerable populations in Australia is collected nationally for the first time,” chief executive Anna Brown said.

“The census has told the national story of our changing community since 1911, but it has not once included the fully story of LGBTIQ+ Australia.”

The new questions, which the ABS produced with its LGBTIQ+ advisory committee, will only be asked of people 16 years and over, the Federal Government said.

Respondees will also have the option not to answer.

News.com.au understands the new questions will be in addition to an existing question on respondents’ sex at birth and likely to be in a separate section of the survey.

Originally published as Survey reveals more Australians are identifying as ‘other than’ heterosexual