Half of UK adults are afraid to ask questions about sexuality, gender and disability

As a new study finds that 50 per cent of people would rather turn to Google for answers, Saman Javed takes a closer look at why this is the case

Crowd of people from different backgrounds (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Half of the adults in the UK do not feel comfortable asking questions about sexuality, gender identity and disability, a new study has found.

A survey of 3,032 adults, carried out by YouGov and commissioned by Google, found that 50 per cent of respondents turn to the search engine and social media to ask questions on topics that do not directly relate to their own lived experience.

More than a third of people (35 per cent) said they are most afraid to ask other people questions about their sexuality and gender identity (31 per cent), and 26 per cent said they find it uncomfortable to ask questions on disability.

The results also pointed to a generational divide. While half of those aged between 18 and 24 years old said they feel comfortable asking personal questions, people over the age of 55 were the least comfortable (42 per cent).

Researchers said the study highlights that people are still curious to know more but are looking for answers online. Google’s top trending searches in the past year have included the questions “how many genders are there?”, “what does queer sexuality mean?” and “is autism a disability?”.

Most people said the fear of causing offence and the freedom to ask questions without judgement were the biggest factors that influenced their Google searches, with women being 11 per cent more likely to worry about causing offence than men.

But researchers found that most of these fears are needless. Around one in five LGBT+ people said they would feel more like they could be themselves if someone asked them about their pronouns directly, and only three per cent of people with a disability said they would be offended by questions about their daily lives and how others can offer support.

“Topics, such as sexuality, religion and disability – those that people are most worried to approach – can be ‘hidden’ and associated with bias, so we may fear being seen to be making assumptions about another person’s lifestyle,” Professor Sophie Scott, CBE and director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London said.

“However, as the Google Search research shows, it’s very important to ask questions to make people feel like they matter. Being ignored is far worse for our mental state and finding areas of common ground can be very positive for people’s sense of a social connection with someone else.”

Scott said it is important for people to move past the “unspoken rules” about what is and isn’t considered polite in conversation because social networks are “key” to our wellbeing.

One helpful tip, Scott explained, is to carefully consider how you frame a question, so it doesn’t feel like an interrogation, and pay attention to the tone of your voice.

Additionally, she highlights the importance of a “shared conversation” where both parties volunteer information about themselves.

“This kind of social interaction is a really effective way of increasing social cohesion, affiliation, and strengthening our social networks.

“Let yourself enjoy the conversations and you’ll find the the questions can start to come very naturally - after all, the more we learn, the closer we get,” she said.

The research forms a part of Google’s recent campaign, “It’s Ok To Ask”, which features footballer Marcus Rashford. The project aims to encourage conversation around less-talked about topics and sees a number of famous figures, such as Nick Grimshaw, Jessie Ware and Ramla Ali ask each other questions about their experiences.