Number of LGBTQ Americans Surges

The number of Americans identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer has continued to rise over the last several years, according to a poll from Gallup.

7.6% of American adults now consider themselves LGBTQ, up from 5.6% four years ago.

In 2012, the number of U.S. adults identifying as LGTQ was 3.5%.

The telephone survey drew from more than 12,000 Americans and asked if they identified as “heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something else.”

Much of the LGBTQ identification comes through generational shifts, according to the survey, as Gen Z and Millennials are “far more likely” than older generations to consider themselves LGBTQ.

Gallup noted that “each younger generation is about twice as likely as the generation that preceded it to identify as LGBTQ+,” with “more than one in five Gen Z adults” identifying as LGBTQ.

“The percentage drops to less than 5% of Generation X, 2% of baby boomers and 1% of the Silent Generation,” Gallup reported.

Bisexuality is the most common LGBTQ identification among Gen Z, followed by being lesbian, transgender, and gay.

“The percentage of U.S. adults who consider themselves something other than heterosexual has more than doubled since Gallup first asked about sexual orientation and transgender identity in 2012. These changes have been led by younger Americans, with about one in 10 millennials and one in five Gen Z adults having an LGBTQ+ status,” Gallup wrote. “The generational differences and trends point to higher rates of LGBTQ+ identification, nationally, in the future. If current trends continue, it is likely that the proportion of LGBTQ+ identifiers will exceed 10% of U.S. adults at some point within the next three decades.”

A January report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that 28% of Gen Z Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 consider themselves to be affiliated with LGBTQ. Gen Z is also more likely to be Democrat and “less likely than older generations to affiliate with an established religion,” the report noted.