New survey reveals only half of young people are exclusively attracted to the opposite sex

Celebrities from Cara Delevingne to Willow Smith are encouraging the younger generation to come out. Photo / Getty Images

A poll has revealed only half of young people are attracted only to people of the opposite sex.

Experts say it's a sign that attitudes toward expressing sexuality are on the move, with a UK survey of 18 to 24-year-olds finding just over half are "only attracted to those of the opposite sex", reports the Daily Mail.

The Times reported that the proportion of people solely attracted to the opposite sex rose as the participants aged.

Several celebrities have become more open about the fact that they are attracted to both sexes over the years, from actress Lili Reinhart and model Cara Delevingne to singers Willow Smith and Miley Cyrus.

Sexual orientation psychology expert Karen Blair told the Times, "The increases at least partially represent an increase in willingness and ability to come out.

"Each recent generation has faced fewer and fewer external pressures to conform to heterosexuality."

Those under 25 are having a "drastically different" experience to older generations as perceptions around sexuality have changed, she said.

A record 5.6 per cent of Americans now identify as LGBTQ, with the majority identifying as bisexual, according to the poll from analytics company Gallup.

Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones said younger generations are "far more likely to consider themselves as something other than heterosexual".

"It reflects what we are seeing in society and the way society is changing.

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"The pronounced generational differences raise questions about whether higher LGBT identification in younger than older Americans reflects a true shift in sexual orientation, or if it merely reflects a greater willingness of younger people to identify as LGBT," Jones added.

"To the extent it reflects older Americans not wanting to acknowledge an LGBT orientation, the Gallup estimates may underestimate the actual population prevalence of it."

Last year's survey reported that 86.7 per cent of Americans said they were straight or heterosexual, with 7.6 refusing to answer the question.

Previously, the poll did not ask respondents to identify their exact orientation, only asking for "yes" or "no" responses to whether they were LGBTQ.

After including the more specific question last year, around 54.6 per cent identified as bisexual, 11.7 per cent as lesbian and 11.3 per cent as transgender, with around a quarter identifying as gay.