More Americans are identifying themselves as part of the LGBT community, according to a Gallup study.
A big reason for this change is that a higher percentage of adults in younger generations are more likely to be a part of the LGBT community.
Gallup interviewed more than 15,000 U.S. adults and found that 5.6% identify as LGBT, an increase from 4.5% when compared to Gallup’s previous 2017 update.
Currently, the research shows that 86.7% of Americans say they are straight while 7.6% of those surveyed did not answer the question about their sexual orientation.
When breaking down the 5.6% of Americans identifying as LGBT:
| Identify As | Among LGBT U.S. Adults | Among all U.S. Adults |
|---|---|---|
| Bisexual | 54.6% | 3.1% |
| Gay | 24.5% | 1.4% |
| Lesbian | 11.7% | 0.7% |
| Transgender | 11.3% | 0.6% |
| Other (e.g., queer, same-gender-loving) | 3.3% | 0.2% |
The above percentages do not add up to 100% as people could select more than one category, according to Gallup.
The survey also broke respondents down by generation, with nearly 1 in 6 Gen Z adults (those born between 1997 and 2002) identifying as LGBT.
Gallup stated that “at a time when Americans are increasingly supportive of equal rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people, a growing percentage of Americans identify themselves as LGBT. With younger generations far more likely than older generations to consider themselves LGBT, that growth should continue.”
