Taiwan's LGB Demographics, Happiness, and Income

Obtaining representative samples of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) populations is challenging, often leading to a hardship in ascertaining their demographic proportions and a scarcity of comparative studies. This study, luckily, leveraged and analyzed gender-specific data from the 2022 Taiwan Social Change Survey—one of the few nationally representative random samples with sexual orientation information—to explore the population proportion of LGB individuals based on self-identification and to compare key indicators of happiness and monthly income. Excluding those with indiscernible self-identification, the sample size was 1,708 (Sample 1) for population estimation and analysis of happiness levels. For income comparisons, individuals without employment or income were excluded, resulting in a sample size of 1,098 (Sample 2). Additionally, a supplemental analysis was conducted using Taiwan's LGBTI Living Condition Survey, yielding the following findings:

Population Proportion: In Sample 1, 3.8% self-identified as LGB (20 males, 45 females). Weighted estimates based on the population structure indicated approximately 4.3% (21 males, 52 females), with a Weighted Bootstrap 95% Confidence Interval of [3.7%, 5.9%]. The Weighted Bayesian Estimate was 4.3% with a 95% Credible Interval of [3.4%, 5.3%].

Happiness Levels: From the gender-specific analysis, gay and bisexual males reported lower happiness than heterosexual males.

Income: In Sample 2, employed gay and bisexual males reported a 35% lower monthly income than heterosexual males in our model, while lesbian and bisexual females showed no significant income difference compared to heterosexual females. This finding aligns with recent trends observed in the United States and the United Kingdom, underscoring the global relevance of our research.

Supplemental analysis: Gay and bisexual males experience higher rates of discrimination and receive less social support compared to their lesbian and bisexual female counterparts. Significantly, these factors are also negatively correlated with income, suggesting a potential reason for the income disparity observed among gay and bisexual males.