Then we are talking about two different ideas of accuracy. I am talking about who self identifies and the statistical confidence of that. From that perspective, those in denial do not skew the results at all. They do not self identify.
You are talking about their deepest, most hidden desires. Does that really matter for the purposes of the survey? I don't know. I'd say, probably not. Those who deny homo feelings are not invested in gay marriage, do not have to worry about gay rights, etc and so are not part of the demographic being quantified.
But I do agree that sexuality is not black and white. I think it is a sliding scale.
Well, if we are only considering those who self-identify as homosexual then my point is moot. However, if we are trying to determine a true and accurate representation of the actual percentage of the populace that is homosexual, we must consider the variable of people who would otherwise be considered homosexual refusing to classify themselves as such. I severely doubt that the Ted Haggards or Larry Craigs of the world would ever own up to their true desires. So the question is, how many people fall into this category
[1]? Is it even a statistically significant number?
I suggest that it
is a significant number, and would (admittedly unscientifically) guess that whatever the number of self-identifying homosexuals is, there is perhaps half again as many unwilling to out themselves. Maybe more.
The bottom line is that we will never really know the true percentage of gays out there as long as homosexuality remains so persecuted and stigmatized in our society.
