Young French men and women say they are less heterosexual than before, "a profound change" in society

Article reserved for subscribers

In a new part of the major survey on "the emotional lives of young adults," the National Institute of Demographic Studies highlights a generational shift away from heterosexuality.

According to the INED study, 19% of women, or nearly one in five, and 8% of men, or one in twelve, do not consider themselves heterosexual. (Anaïs Kugel/Libération)

Young people are putting heterosexuality on the back burner. This is the underlying conclusion of the Survey on the Emotional Life of Young Adults (Envie) conducted in 2023 by the National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED) and published in its journal Population & Sociétés this Wednesday, April 30. Under the direction of sociologist Marie Bergström , 10,021 people aged 18 to 29, living in mainland France, were questioned about their sexual and romantic orientation.

The result is a clear observation: 19% of women, or nearly one in five, and 8% of men, or one in twelve, do not consider themselves heterosexual . It is clear that there has been an increased affirmation of sexual identities other than heterosexual since the 2015 Virage study - which only covered people aged 20 to 29: in almost ten years, the proportion of women has not