GLAAD released the 2024 Accelerating Acceptance study on Aug. 15, which found that acceptance for LGBTQ people remains at supermajority levels, but overall support for the community has dropped slightly as reports of discrimination have risen.
At a glance, the organization’s top-line findings reveal that:
- 95 percent of non-LGBTQ Americans believe schools should be safe and accepting for all youth,
- 93 percent say children should be taught to appreciate and accept people as they are,
- 80 percent support LGBTQ equal rights, down from a record high of 84 percent one year ago, and
- 70 percent of GenZ LGBTQ adults report discrimination based on their sexual orientation.
The 16-page report is available here. GLAAD’s Media Institute has published Accelerating Acceptance studies each year since 2015. The organization will hold a briefing at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20 to review this year’s findings.
As the data shows, “more non-LGBTQ people have been inspired to speak up for LGBTQ equality as a result of accurate news coverage,” GLAAD wrote in a press release, “and voters have shown up in election after election to reject extremist candidates and their anti-trans campaigns.”
However, along with the findings about discrimination — particularly among Gen Z adults, the largest population of out Americans in history — respondents also report “negative mental health impact, fear for their safety, and online and real world harassment as a result of the political discourse in the country.”
“GLAAD’s 2024 Accelerating Acceptance Study arrives at a monumental inflection point for the LGBTQ community and for our entire country,” GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said. “While acceptance for LGBTQ people remains at supermajority levels, the data this year also sounds substantial alarms about threats to this progress and to freedoms valued by every American.”
“The same extremist lawmakers, judges and media sources targeting abortion access, contraception, free and fair elections, and free speech, are using the same strategies of fear and disinformation to undermine LGBTQ people and our equality,” Ellis said.
She added, “Fortunately, the data also points to proven ways to keep expanding and accelerating acceptance.”
The online study was conducted in January 2024 with a nationwide sample of 2,511 U.S. adults.
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.
