A new report from Gallup indicates the percentage of U.S. adults who self-identify as LGBTQ (or something other than heterosexual) has doubled from 3.5% in 2012 (when Gallup first began to ask the question) to a new high of 7.1% in 2021.
Gallup asks Americans how they personally identify in regard to sexual orientation and/or gender identity as part of the demographic information it collects on all U.S. telephone surveys.
(graphic via Gallup)That same report included that 86.3% say they are straight or heterosexual, and 6.6% didn’t offer a response. These figures are based on aggregated 2021 data made up of interviews with more than 12,000 U.S. adults.
Gallup attributes much of the increase in self-identifying LGBTQ adults to Generation Z (born 1997-2003) respondents. In 2017, when Gen Zers were just coming to adulthood, 10.5% identified as LGBTQ, today that figure has doubled to nearly 21%.
The number of Millennials (born 1981-1996) who identify as queer rose from 7.8% in 2017 to 10.5% in 2021.
Meanwhile, Generation X (born 1965-1980) and Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) have remained pretty steady (and at much lower numbers) at 4.2% and 2.6% respectively.
(graphic via Gallup)Bisexuals make up the most common LGBTQ identity at almost 57%, which makes up about 4% of the entire U.S. population. Gays account for 20.7% of the queer demo, and lesbians 13.9%. Ten percent of LGBTQs identify as transgender.
Gallup sums up its findings noting that the percentage of Americans identifying as LGBTQ is growing at a faster pace than in previous years, in part because more of Gen Z is reaching adulthood.
Gallup credits this with the increasing acceptance of LGBTQ people as well as passage of legal protections against discrimination.