Demographic and Experiential Characteristics of Asexual Individuals and Associations with Well-Being

Abstract

The visibility and number of people identifying as asexual—those with little to no sexual attraction—have been increasing in recent years. In the current study, we examined variation in experiential and developmental milestones and psychosocial functioning in 1,726 individuals on the asexual spectrum (61.2% women, 15.0% non-binary, 14.2% men, 9.0% other gender). A lack of sexual attraction was a lifelong orientation—most (i.e., often half to two-thirds) asexual individuals reported never experiencing sexual attraction or acting on it. Identity formation processes and romantic feelings tended to be most salient in adolescence. People are identifying as asexual more recently, such that 18–22-year-olds did so recently in adolescence (ages 13–17), 23–29 year-olds did so recently in young adulthood (ages 18–24), and 30 + year-olds did so recently in adulthood (ages 25–34). This may be consistent with the visibility of asexuality increasing in recent years, providing a useful label for people. Asexual people were more out to other members of the LGBTQIA+ community but less to family, coworkers, and the heterosexual community. Being out and lower levels of internalized acephobia were associated with higher life satisfaction. We discuss these findings in the context of identity development and the mechanisms linking individual and relational characteristics to well-being in asexual populations.