The proportion of LGBTQ+ adults in the United States is on the rise, with almost 30 percent of Generation Z women identifying as LGBTQ+.
Research conducted by Gallup, an American multinational analytics and advisory company specialising in management consulting revealed that 7.6 percent of U.S. adults now identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or some other sexual orientation besides heterosexual.
The latest insights stem from a comprehensive analysis of data collected through Gallup telephone surveys conducted in 2023. The report surveyed 12,000 American adults aged 18 and above, and inquired into individuals’ self-identification regarding sexual orientation.
When examined by gender, the survey revealed that women were almost twice as likely as men to identify within the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to identify as LGBTQ+
The Gallup survey indicates that women are nearly twice as likely as men to identify as LGBTQ+, with rates at 8.5 percent for women compared to 4.7 percent for men. Among women, bisexuality emerged as the most widespread form of LGBTQ+ identification, whereas men are equally likely to identify as bisexual or gay.
In the survey, Generation Z women (ages 18 to 26) emerged as the group most likely to identify as LGBTQ, with 28.5 percent of respondents falling within this category. Among these women, 20.7 percent identified as bisexual, followed by 5.4 percent who identified as lesbians.
Gen Z women were found to be nearly three times more likely than Gen Z men to identify as LGBTQ.
Generational Trends in LGBTQ+ Identification
According to the report, “More than one in five Gen Z women identify as bisexual, as do 9 percent of millennial women. Gen Z men are more likely to identify as bisexual than as gay, while roughly equal proportions of millennial men identify as bisexual or gay. Older generations of LGBTQ+ men are most likely to identify as gay.”
The report reveals a significant trend: each successive younger generation is approximately twice as likely as the one preceding it to identify as LGBTQ+. More than one in five Gen Z adults, aged between 18 and 26 in 2023, identify as LGBTQ+, while nearly one in ten millennials (aged 27 to 42) do so as well. However, the percentage decreases sharply to less than 5% among Generation X, 2 percent among baby boomers, and only 1 percent among the Silent Generation.
Since 2012, there has been a significant increase in the percentage of U.S. adults who identify as something other than heterosexual since 2012. The surge in LGBTQ+ identification has been prominent among younger generations. These generational shifts suggest a growing trend towards higher rates of LGBTQ+ identification nationally.
According to Gallup, if current patterns persist, the proportion of LGBTQ+ identifiers among U.S. adults is estimated to surpass 10% within the next three decades.
