Question wording used in the different surveys
| Natsal-3 | EMIS | London-GMSHS | Scotland-GMSHS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age | What was your age last birthday? | How old are you? | What was your age at your last birthday? Years | What age are you? |
| Academic qualification | Please read down the list and tell me the highest qualification that you have | What is your highest education qualification? | Could you tell us what your highest educational qualifications are? | |
| Employment | Which of these descriptions applies to what you were doing last week, that is, in the 7 days ending last Sunday? | Which of the following best describes your current occupation? | Are you employed at present? Yes/no | Are you currently employed/self-employed/unemployed retired/student? |
| Ethnicity | To which of the ethnic groups on this card do you consider you belong? White/mixed, Asian or Asian British/black or British black/Chinese or other | Which of the following ethnic groups best describes you? White/black/SE Asian/Asian/mixed/other | ||
| Urban | Urban/rural indicator classification. Urban ≥10k* | How would you describe the place you live in? 1=a million or more 2=500 000–999 999 3=100 000–499 999 4=10 000–99 999 5=less than 10 000 people | ||
| Region: Country | Region* | Which country do you currently live in? | ||
| Sexual identity | Which of the options on this card best describes how you think of yourself? Straight/gay/bisexual/other | Which of the following options best describes how you think of yourself? Gay/bisexual/straight/other/I don't use a term | How would you describe your sexual orientation? Gay/bisexual/straight/other | How would you describe your sexual orientation? Gay/bisexual/straight/other |
| Attraction scale | I have felt sexually attracted… 1=Only to men 2=Mostly to men and sometimes to women 3=Both to men and women equally 4=Mostly to women and sometimes to men 5=Only to women | Who are you sexually attracted to? 1=Only to men 2=Mostly to men and sometimes to women 3=Both to men and women equally 4=Mostly to women and sometimes to men 5=Only to women | ||
| Sexual partnerships | ||||
| First same-sex experience before age 16 | And how old were you the first time you had sex with a (man) involving (genital area/penis) contact? | How old were you the very first time you had any kind of sex with a man/boy, or a man/boy had any kind of sex with you? | ||
| Number of male sexual partners, past year | In the last year how many men have you had sex with? | How many different steady/non-steady male partners have you had sex with in the last 12 months? | In the last year, with how many men have you had sex? | With how many men have you had any sexual contact in the last 12 months? |
| One or more female sexual partners, past year | Altogether, in your last year, how many women have you had sexual intercourse with? (Sexual intercourse was previously defined in the questionnaire as including vaginal, anal and oral sex) | When did you last have any kind of sex with a woman? (Sex was previously defined to mean physical contact to orgasm (close to orgasm) | ||
| Sexual practices | ||||
| Same-sex anal sex, past year | When, if ever, was the last occasion you had anal sex with a man—by you to him?/by him to you? | When did you last have anal intercourse with a man (either with or without a condom) | In the last year, with how many men have you had active/passive anal intercourse? | With how many men have you had anal sex in the last 12 months? |
| Unprotected anal intercourse, past year | In the last year, with how many men have you had anal intercourse without using a condom? | How many different steady/non-steady male partners have you had anal intercourse without a condom within the last 12 months? | In the last year, with how many men have you had active/passive anal intercourse without a condom? | With how many men have you had anal sex WITHOUT a condom in the last 12 months? |
| HIV testing and clinic attendance | ||||
| HIV test | ‘(Apart from when you were donating blood) Have you ever had a test for HIV (the virus that causes AIDS)?’ ‘When was that test? (the last HIV test if more than one)’ | Have you ever received an HIV test result? If positive: In which year were you first diagnosed HIV positive? If HIV negative: When did you last have an HIV test? | When did you have your last named HIV test (not anonymous)? ≤1/>1–5 years/>5/never | When was your most recent HIV test? |
| Attended a sexual health clinic, past year | Have you ever attended a sexual health clinic (GUM clinic)? When was that? | Have you attended a sexual health/GUM clinic in the last year? | ||
| STI diagnosis | ||||
| Diagnosed with: Gonorrhoea Chlamydia Syphilis | When were you last told by a doctor or healthcare professional that you had… Gonorrhoea Chlamydia Syphilis | Have you ever been diagnosed with …? When were you last diagnosed with…? Gonorrhoea Chlamydia Syphilis | Have you had an STI in the last year? If yes, which of the following STIs have you had Gonorrhoea/chlamydia/syphilis/LGV/other | |
| Drug use | ||||
| Ever taken amyl nitrates | Have you ever taken any of the drugs listed below? (Please do not count any drugs you have injected): amyl nitrates | When was the last time you consumed poppers (nitrite inhalants)? | ||
| Recreational drug use | Have you ever taken any of the drugs listed below? (Please do not count any drugs you have injected) | Have you ever taken any other recreational or illicit drugs? | ||
| Injecting drug use | Have you ever injected yourself with any non-prescribed drugs or other substances? When was the last time you injected yourself with non-prescribed drugs or other substances | Have you ever injected any drug other than anabolic steroids or medicines? Never/last 12 months/more than 12 months ago | ||
*Information provided by the ONS—UK's national statistical institute and the largest producer of official statistics in the UK. The ONS provide standardised classification of area population size and region.10
EMIS, European MSM (men who have sex with men) Internet Survey; GMSHS, Gay Men's Sexual Health Survey; Natsal-3, National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles; ONS, Office of national statistics; STI, sexually transmitted infection; GUM, genito-urinary medicine; LGV, lymphogranumola venereum.