Australian Census data shows 40 per cent of the nation’s same-sex couples are Christian. It’s a smaller proportion than straight couples, of which more than two-thirds affiliate with the religion. Gay and lesbian couples across the Tasman are most likely to be of no religion, at 48 per cent, but are more likely than heterosexual partners to be Buddhists, and less likely to be Hindus or Muslims. A paper released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics also shows there were more male than female same-sex couples. Nationally, same-sex couples account for just 0.7 per cent of all couple families, but this is more than double the proportion recorded in 1996. Same-sex partners accounted for 1.6 per cent of all partners aged 15-24 years, but just 0.1 per cent of all partners aged 65 and over. The gayest local government area of Sydney is the City of Sydney, where same-sex couples make up 11.3 per cent of all couples.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 29th June 2012 - 9:06am