Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation (2022)
Chapter: Appendix A: Measures Evaluated by the Committee
Appendix A
Measures Evaluated by the Committee
The table in this appendix lists the measures used in federally sponsored surveys and other data collection approaches to measure sexual orientation and gender identity that the committee considered.
TABLE A-1 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Measures by Survey
| Name of Data Collection Instrument | Sponsora | Measure(s) | Population | Data Type | Mode(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual Orientation | Gender Identityb | ||||||
| One-Step Approach | Two-Step Approach | ||||||
| All of Us | NIH | X | X | All ages | Medical | CATI, P&P | |
| American National Election Studies (ANES) | NSF | X | X | Adults (eligible voters) | Survey | Web, CAPI, CASI, CATI, Video | |
| Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BFRSS) | CDC | X | X c | Adults | Survey | CATI | |
| Center for Substance Abuse Treatment—Government Performance Results and Modernization Act (CSAT-GPRA) | SAMHSA | X | Youth and Adults | Admin | n/a | ||
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommendations for Health Care Providers (CDC Recs) | CDC | X | X | n/a | Medical | n/a | |
| Gallup | Gallup | Xd | Adults | Survey | CATI | ||
| General Social Survey (GSS) | NSF | X | X | Adults | Survey | CAPI (SAQ) | |
| Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) | NIH | X | Young Adults (20s) | Survey | P&P Web | ||
| Health Center Patient Survey (HCPS) | HRSA ASPEe | X | All ages | Admin | CAPI | ||
| Health and Retirement Study (HRS) | NIH, SSA, DOL, ASPE, State of Florida | X | Older adults | Survey | CAPI CATI | ||
| High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09)—2016 Collection 3 Years After High School Graduation | NCES | X | X | Young adults (early 20s) | Survey | Web CAPI CATI | |
| National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS) | NCHS | X | X | Adults | Survey | CATI | |
| National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) | BJS | X | X | Ages 16+ | Survey | CAPI, CATI | |
| National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) | NIAAA | X | Adults | Survey | CAPI | ||
| National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) | CDC | X | Adults | Survey | CAPI CATI |
| Name of Data Collection Instrument | Sponsora | Measure(s) | Population | Data Type | Mode(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual Orientation | Gender Identityb | ||||||
| One-Step Approach | Two-Step Approach | ||||||
| National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) | CDC | X | Adults | Survey | CAPI | ||
| National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) | CDC | X | X | Adults (high HIV risk) | Survey | CAPI | |
| National Inmate Survey (NIS) | BJS | X | X | Ages 16+f | Survey | ACASI | |
| National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) | CDC, DOD, NIJ | X | Adults | Survey | CATI | ||
| National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health, Wave V (Add Health) | Multipleg | X | X | Adults | Survey | Web, P&P, CAPI, CASI, CATI | |
| National Opinion Research Center (NORC) recommendations for Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) | CMS | X | X | Ages 60+ | Survey | n/a | |
| National Outcome Measures, Center for Mental Health Services (NOM) | SAMHSA CMHS | X | Xh | Adults | Admin | n/a | |
| National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) | SAMHSA | X | Adults | Survey | ACASI | ||
| National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) | CDC | X | Ages 15–49 | Survey | CAPI, ACASI | ||
| National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP) | AOA | X | Age 60+ | Survey Admin | CATI | ||
| Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (PATH) | NIDA, NIH, CTP, FDA | X | X | Ages 14+ | Survey | ACASI, CAPI | |
| Survey of Today’s Adolescent Relationship and Transitions (START) | CDC | X | X | Ages 13–24i | Survey | Web, Focus Groups | |
| GenIUSS Report Recommendations | Williams Institute | X | X | X | Adults | Survey | n/a |
| Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) | CDC | X | Grades 9–12 | Survey | P&P |
NOTES: ACASI, audio computer-assisted self-interview; AOA, Administration on Aging; ASPE, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation; BJS, Bureau of Justice Statistics; CAPI, computer-assisted personal interview; CASI, computer-assisted self-interview; CATI, computer-assisted telephone interview; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CMHS, Center for Mental Health Services; CMS, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; CTP, Center for Tobacco Products; DOD, U.S. Department of Defense; DOL, U.S. Department of Labor; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; HRSA, Health Resources and Services Administration; NCES, National Center for Education Statistics; n/a, not applicable; NCHS, National Center for Health Statistics; NIAAA, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; NIDA, National Institute on Drug Abuse; NIH, National Institutes of Health; NIJ, National Institute of Justice; NSF, National Science Foundation; P&P, paper and pencil; SAMHSA, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; SAQ, self-administered questionnaire; SSA, Social Security Administration.
a Sponsors cited are drawn from websites and publicly available survey documentation.
b Single-step gender identity measures use a single question to assess gender identity and transgender experience or identity. Two-step measures use a sequence of two questions that can be compared to identify respondents with transgender experience.
c Beginning in 2019, BRFSS added a measure of sex assigned at birth to the approved optional sexual orientation and gender identity module. This module has included a stand-alone measure of transgender status since 2014.
d The Gallup measure is a measure of LGBT status that instructs respondents to select all that apply from the following response options: straight or heterosexual; lesbian; gay, bisexual; and transgender.
e The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) provides support for generating public-use data files that can be used for research.
f Adults in jails or prisons and juveniles in detention centers.
g The National Survey of Adolescent and Young Adults Health (Add Health) is funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations.
h Guidelines recommend asking respondent to report their gender with an open-ended response field. Instructions tell interviewers they may clarify by asking whether the respondent sees themselves as a man or male, woman or female, transgender, or other.
i Sexual minority males ages 13–18 years and transgender youth ages 13–24 years when interviewed who were recruited through social media sources.
