Table 2. Natsal-COVID distributions compared with external probability surveys and Natsal-3 data.
| Men (including Trans Men) | Women (including Trans Women) | All | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % [95% CI] | % [95% CI] | % [95% CI] | ||||||||
| Natsal-COVID | Population estimate 1 | Natsal-COVID | Population estimate 1 | Natsal-COVID | Population estimate 1 | |||||
|
Denominators
(weighted, unweighted) * |
3310, 3187 | 17520655,
61993 |
3320, 3443 | 17668414, 68988 | 6654, 6654 | 35189069, 130981 | ||||
| Unweighted % | Weighted % [95% CI] | Unweighted % | Weighted % [95% CI] | Unweighted % | Weighted % [95% CI] | |||||
| Married | Yes | 38.7 | 39.8 [37.9,41.6] | 46.8 [46.4,47.3] | 36 | 41.4 [39.6,43.2] | 48.2 [47.7,48.6] | 37.2 | 40.5 [39.2,41.7] | 47.5 [47.2,47.8] |
| Education 2, 3 | No qualification | 4.1 | 4.3 [3.5,5.1] | 11.7 [10.3,13.2] | 3.2 | 3.5 [2.8,4.3] | 11 [9.7,12.3] | 3.6 | 3.9 [3.4,4.4] | 11.3 [10.4,12.3] |
| Below degree | 50 | 49.9 [48.0,51.9] | 54.8 [52.5,57.1] | 46.6 | 47.1 [45.2,49.0] | 53 [51.0,54.9] | 48.3 | 48.6 [47.2,49.9] | 34.8 [33.4,36.3] | |
| Degree | 46 | 45.9 [43.9,47.8] | 33.5 [31.4,35.7] | 50.2 | 49.4 [47.5,51.4] | 36.1 [34.2,38.0] | 48.1 | 47.6 [46.2,48.9] | 53.9 [52.4,55.4] | |
| Rurality 2 | Urban | 87 | 87.4 [86.0,88.7] | 84.3 [82.7,85.7] | 84.8 | 85.1 [83.6,86.5] | 84 [82.6,85.3] | 85.9 | 86.3 [85.3,87.3] | 84.1 [83.1,85.1] |
| Rural | 13 | 12.6 [11.3,14.0] | 15.7 [14.3,17.3] | 15.2 | 14.9 [13.5,16.4] | 16.0 [14.7,17.4] | 14.1 | 13.7 [12.7, 14.7] | 15.9 [14.9,16.9] | |
| General health status 2 | Good/ Very Good | 73.1 | 74.0 [72.3,75.7] | 81.3 [79.5,82.9] | 73.3 | 72.9 [71.1,74.5] | 78.6 [77.0,80.1] | 73.1 | 73.3 [72.1,74.5] | 79.9 [78.7,81.1] |
| Fair | 21 | 20.4 [18.9,22.0] | 13 [11.7,14.5] | 21.6 | 21.8 [20.3,23.4] | 15.2 [13.8,16.6] | 21.3 | 21.1 [20.0,22.3] | 14.1 [13.1,15.1] | |
| Bad/ Very bad | 5.9 | 5.6 [4.8,6.5] | 5.7 [4.7,6.9] | 5.2 | 5.3 [4.5,6.3] | 6.2 [5.4,7.2] | 5.6 | 5.6 [5.0,6.2] | 6.0 [5.3,6.7] | |
| Limiting long-term illness/disability | Yes | 31.1 | 28.9 [27.2,30.6] | 28.4 [28.0,28.8] | 37 | 35.8 [34.1,37.6] | 32.5 [32.1,32.9] | 34.2 | 32.5 [31.3,33.7] | 30.5 [30.2,30.8] |
| Ever had any partnered sexual experience (not necessarily involving genital contact) 4, 5 | Yes | 91 | 90.5 [89.3,91.6] | 98.7 [98.4,99.0] | 90 | 89.4 [88.1,90.5] | 98.8 [98.4,99.1] | 90.4 | 89.9 [89,90.6] | 98.8 [98.5,99.9] |
| Ever had vaginal, anal, oral sex or other genital contact with a partner of any gender 4, 5 | Yes | 85.9 | 85.1 [83.5, 86.5] | 96.6 [96.0,97.0] | 83.1 | 82.7 [81.2, 84.2] | 97.1 [96.6,97.5] | 84.4 | 83.8 [82.7, 84.9] | 96.8 [96.5,97.2] |
| Ever had vaginal, anal, oral sex or other genital contact with a same sex partner 4, 5 | Yes | 13.2 | 6.3 [5.6,7.2] | 5.7 [5.0,6.5] | 9.1 | 5.4 [4.7,6.1] | 7.3 [6.7,8.0] | 11 | 5.8 [5.3,6.4] | 6.5 [6.0, 7.1] |
| Partner numbers, lifetime 4, 6 | 1 partner | 12.6 | 13.1 [11.7,14.7] | 11.9 [10.7, 13.1] | 16.9 | 17.7 [16.1,19.4] | 18.7 [11.5,19.9] | 14.6 | 15.4 [14.2,16.5] | 15.3 [14.5,16.2] |
| 2 partners | 8.9 | 9.9 [8.6,11.3] | 7.9 [6.9,8.9] | 12.3 | 12.0 [10.7,13.5] | 10.1 [9.2,10.9] | 10.6 | 10.9 [10.0,11.9] | 8.9 [8.3,9.6] | |
| 3-4 partners | 14.5 | 15.7 [14.1,17.3] | 14.8 [13.6,16.1] | 17.5 | 17.9 [16.3,19.6] | 19.4 [18.3,20.6] | 16.1 | 16.7 [15.6,17.9] | 17.1 [16.3,18.0] | |
| 5-9 partners | 23.3 | 23.6 [21.9,25.5] | 25.6 [24.2,27.2] | 24.5 | 24.7 [22.9,26.6] | 27.1 [25.9,28.4] | 23.8 | 24.2 [22.9,25.5] | 26.4 [25.4,27.4] | |
| 10+ partners | 40.7 | 37.7 [35.7,39.8] | 39.8 [38.1,41.5] | 28.9 | 27.8 [25.9,29.7] | 24.8 [23.6,26.0] | 34.7 | 32.8 [31.4,34.3] | 32.2 [31.2,33.3] | |
| Median (IQR) [95th percentile] | 7 (3,15) [60] | 6 (3,15) [50] | 7 (3,15) [50] | 5 (2,10) [30) | 5 (2,10) [25] | 5 (2,10) [27] | 5 (2,12) [42] | 5 (2,11) [37] | 6 (3,12) [35] | |
| Ever had vaginal, anal, oral sex or other genital contact with partner of any gender in the last year 4, 5 | Yes | 70.8 | 70.3 [68.4,72.1] | 92.8 [91.9,93.6] | 70.4 | 68.2 [66.3,70.0] | 90.3 [89.4,91.1] | 70.5 | 69.2 [67.8,70.5] | 91.5 [90.9,92.1] |
| Partner numbers, last year 4, 7 | 1 partner | 79.1 | 81.8 [79.8,83.6] | 79.8 [78.4,81.2] | 87.8 | 90.4 [89.1,91.6] | 86.7 [85.7,87.6] | 83.5 | 85.9 [84.7,87.0] | 83.2 [82.4,84.1] |
| 2 partners | 9.2 | 9.0 [7.7,10.5] | 9.1 [8.2,10.2] | 6.1 | 5.2 [4.3,6.3] | 6.6 [6.0,7.3] | 7.7 | 7.2 [6.4,8.1] | 7.9 [7.3,8.5] | |
| 3-4 partners | 4.9 | 4.1 [3.2,5.2] | 6.4 [5.7,7.2] | 3.5 | 2.5 [1.9,3.2] | 4.1 [3.6,4.6] | 4.2 | 3.3 [2.8,4.0] | 5.2 [4.8,5.7] | |
| 5+ partners | 6.8 | 5.1 [4.2, 6.3] | 4.7 [4.1,5.4] | 2.6 | 1.8 [1.4,2.5] | 2.6 [2.2,3.1] | 4.7 | 3.5 [3.0,4.2] | 3.6 [3.3, 4.1] | |
| Median (IQR) [95th percentile] | 1 (1,1) [5] | 1 (1,1) [5] | 1 (1,2) [5] | 1 (1,1) [3] | 1 (1,1) [2] | 1 (1,1) [4] | 1 (1,1) [4] | 1 (1,1) [4] | 1 (1,1) [4] | |
| 1 or more new partner(s), last year 4, 7 | Yes | 31.1 | 30.0 [27.8,32.3] | 25.8 [24.3,27.3] | 22.2 | 18.6 [16.9,20.4] | 19.7 [18.6,20.8] | 36.4 | 24.4 [23.0,25.9] | 22.7 [21.8,23.7] |
CI=confidence intervals.
*Data are presented for individuals aged 18-59 from England, Scotland, and Wales. Sexual identity comparisons (“don’t know” are excluded from the table but included in denominator) come from a report, which reports sexual identity for individuals aged 16+ in the entire UK in 2018.
1. Comparison data from Annual Population Survey 2019 (APS) unless otherwise stated.
2. Comparison data from Health Survey for England 2018 (HSE, England only)
3. Natsal-COVID participants chose an option from the following list: (1) primary school, (2) secondary school (age under 15 years old), (3) GNVQ / GSVQ / GCSE/ SCE standard, (4) NVQ1/NVQ2, (5) NVQ3/ SCE Higher Grade/ Advanced GNVQ/ GCE A/AS or similar, (6) NVQ4 / HNC / HND / Bachelor's degree or similar, and (7) NVQ5 or post-graduate diploma. A 3-category education variable, based on a variable used by 2018 Health Survey for England (HSE), including “no qualification,” “below degree”, and “degree” was derived using the following: No qualification: 1-2; Below degree: 3-5; Degree: 6-7.
4. Comparison data from Natsal-3
5. All respondents
6. All respondents reporting at least one sexual partner in their lifetime (vaginal, anal, oral sex, or other genital contact)
7. All respondents reporting at least one sexual partner in the past year (vaginal, anal, oral sex, or other genital contact)