In the US, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of adults identifying as LGBTQ, according to a new Gallup poll. The percentage of US adults identifying as LGBTQ increased slightly from 7.1% in 2021 to 7.2% in the last year. Although this is just a small increase, it represents more than double the number of adults who identified as something other than heterosexual in 2012, when only 3.5% of the US population identified as LGBTQ.
The poll surveyed more than 10,000 adults across the US and recorded identities of LGBTQ people who identified as something other than lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, for the first time. The survey revealed that 5% of LGBTQ adults identified outside of these terms, with most identifying as queer, pansexual or asexual. Bisexuals continue to make up the majority of LGBTQ adults, at 58.2%, while 20.2% identify as gay, 13.4% identify as lesbian, and 8.8% identify as transgender.
Interestingly, the survey also revealed generational differences in LGBTQ identification. Generation Z, ages 19 to 26, are the most likely to identify as LGBTQ, at 19.7%, compared to 11.2% of millennials, who are 27 to 42; 3.3% of Generation X, who are 43 to 58; 2.7% of Baby boomers, who are 59 to 77; and 1.7% of the Silent Generation, who are 78 or older. LGBTQ respondents in the two oldest generations are most likely to identify as gay or lesbian, while younger generations are more likely to identify as bisexual. Gallup expects the percentage of LGBTQ adults in the US to continue to grow, but the rate of growth will depend on younger generations continuing to be more likely to identify as LGBTQ than their predecessors.
As the number of adults identifying as LGBTQ continues to rise in the US, it is important to note the generational trends in LGBTQ identification. The fact that younger generations are more likely to identify as bisexual than older generations suggests that societal attitudes towards sexuality are shifting. It remains to be seen what impact this trend will have on the US population in the years to come.