U.S.A.: More people than ever identify as LGBTQ+

According to the latest Gallup poll, the number of people in the U.S.A. identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to grow.

In 2024, 9.3% of U.S.A. adults identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or another non-heterosexual identity. This marks an increase of over one percentage point since the 2023 survey, double the number reported in 2020, and up from 3.5% when Gallup first inquired about sexual identity in 2012.

The survey involved 14,000 respondents who were asked, “Which of the following do you consider yourself to be? You can select as many as apply. Straight or heterosexual; Lesbian; Gay; Bisexual; Transgender.”

Overall, according to ‘LGBTQ Nation’, 85.7% identified as straight, 5.2% as bisexual, 2.0% as gay, 1.4% as lesbian, and 1.3% as transgender. Just below 1% identified with another LGBTQ+ identity, such as pansexual, asexual, or queer. Five percent chose not to answer.

The survey revealed that LGBTQ+ identification is on the rise as younger generations reach adulthood, with younger individuals being more likely than older generations to identify as something other than heterosexual.

Both Gen Z and millennials have matured during a period characterised by the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights, marriage equality, and increased cultural representation.

More than one in five Gen Z adults, born between 1997 and 2006 and aged 18 to 27 in 2024, identify as LGBTQ+. Each older generation, from millennials to the Silent Generation, shows progressively lower rates of identification, with only 1.8% among the oldest Americans, born before 1946.

The most significant increase was among younger people identifying as bisexual. Notably, 59% of LGBTQ+ Gen Z Americans (ages 18-27) identified as bisexual, along with more than half (52%) of LGBTQ+ millennials (ages 28-43).

In Gallup’s interviews with nearly 900 LGBTQ+ individuals last year, more than half, or 56%, identified as bisexual. Twenty-one percent identified as gay, 15% as lesbian, 14% as transgender, and 6% with another identity. These figures exceed 100% because respondents could report multiple LGBTQ+ identities.

The overall estimate of 9.3% of U.S.A. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ counts each respondent only once, even if they have multiple identities.

The survey also examined LGBTQ+ identification in relation to sex, politics, and geography.

Democrats (14%) and independents (11%) are significantly more likely than Republicans (3%) to identify as LGBTQ+.

Among political ideologies, 21% of liberals, compared to 8% of moderates and 3% of conservatives, identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

LGBTQ+ identification is more prevalent among people living in urban (11%) and suburban (10%) areas than in rural ones (7%).

College graduates (9%) and non-graduates (10%) have similar likelihoods of identifying as LGBTQ+, while 10% of women versus 6% of men identify as LGBTQ+. This gender gap is most evident in younger generations.

Among Gen Z, 31% of women versus 12% of men identify as LGBTQ+, with most of these young women identifying as bisexual.