Progressive Pride flag. (Image by Bigstock, from Washington Blade)
Gallup’s poll of how American adults identify shows that 5.6% of U.S. adults say they are LGBT, an increase of 1.1% from 2017.
The survey shows 86.7% identify as heterosexual; 7.6% didn’t answer the question.
Results are based on 15,000 interviews conducted in 2020 with Americans 18 and older, according to a Gallup release.
Gallup reports: “More than half of LGBT adults (54.6%) identify as bisexual. About a quarter (24.5%) say they are gay, with 11.7% identifying as lesbian and 11.3% as transgender. An additional 3.3% volunteer another non-heterosexual preference or term to describe their sexual orientation, such as queer or same-gender-loving. Respondents can give multiple responses when describing their sexual identification; thus, the totals exceed 100%.
“Rebasing these percentages to represent their share of the U.S. adult population finds 3.1% of Americans identifying as bisexual, 1.4% as gay, 0.7% as lesbian and 0.6% as transgender.”
The increase is seen as driven by Generation Z (those born between 1997-2002); 15.9% of that group identify as LGBT, compared to just 3.8% of Gen X and 9.1% of Millennials.
“This poll confirms what we have long known—that the LGBTQ community is powerful and a growing force in the United States, and around the world,” said Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign president. “Young adults, in particular, feel empowered to publicly claim their identities—a compelling finding and validation for the past generations of LGBTQ advocates who have long fought for full equality.”
