More people in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ+ than ever before

Every year, Gallup collects data as a part of the Gallup Poll Social Series. This series includes twelve different topics that researchers conduct interviews on over the course of each month. Participants comprise adults ages eighteen and older from all 50 states, who are asked about their opinions on a number of topics, including the environment, consumption habits, and education. 

One benefit of this data collection effort is that we are able to learn how the demographic composition of the United States changes and evolves. Recently, it was reported that LGBTQ+ identification for adults in the U.S. has reached a new record high. As of 2024, 9.3% of U.S. adults now identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or something other than heterosexual. In today’s blog, we’ll talk about the rising trend in LGBTQ+ identification, especially as it relates to members of Generation Z.

Increases in LGBTQ+ Identification 

The estimate of 9.3% of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ in 2024 is up significantly from 2023, where the estimate was 7.6%. Below, the figure (made by Gallup) shows the rise in LGBTQ+ identification since they started collecting this data in 2012. 

There are a few notable things about this figure. First, the percentage of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ is nearly twice as much as it was in 2020 (from 5.6% to 9.3%). Second, while the jump from 2022 to 2023 was only 0.4 percentage points, the increase in LGBTQ+ identification from 2023 t0 2024 is almost two full percentage points (a 1.7% increase). 

LGBTQ+ Identification by Cohort 

The rise in LGBTQ+ identification appears to be largely attributed to individuals who are members of Generation Z, who are born from 1997-2006. In fact, over one in five of these individuals identifies as LGBTQ+ as of 2024. Comparatively, only 1.8% of individuals who are part of the Silent Generation (born during 1945 or before) are estimated to identify as LGBTQ+. This second figure, also made by Gallup, breaks down these differences in more depth. 

Although there have also been some increases in the percentage of Millennials and Generation X who identify as LGBTQ+, the changes over recent years have been much smaller than the rises among Generation Z. Overall, Gallup estimates that each generation can expect to have about twice the number of individuals identifying as LGBTQ+ than the generation before them.  

Drivers Behind the Increase in LGBTQ+ Identification 

As noted above, Gen Z is the driving force behind increases in LGBTQ+ identification among U.S. adults. Within this cohort, women identifying as bisexual appear to be where we’ve seen the most movement. It’s also worth noting that LGBTQ+ identification is higher among liberals and those living in cities. 

Coming out and identifying as LGBTQ+ has been described as a “powerful act of authenticity and community-building” for individuals [1, p. 248]. For members of Generation Z, online spaces have become an important place where this community-building occurs. Specifically, research has found that social media facilitates safe spaces for identity development and the ability to find others who are also members of the LGBTQ+ community [2]. This means that social media has allowed younger generations to connect with others with more expansive sexual and gender identities than ever before. 

There are probably a wide range of factors that may be contributing to the increase in LGBTQ+ identification. However, a big part of the story may be due to increases in public support for LGBTQ+ persons and same-sex marriage over the past two decades, which may allow people to feel freer to come out any identify as something other than heterosexual.

It will be interesting to keep an eye on these trends in the coming years. Will the numbers continue to rise? Or will they level off or perhaps even decline as the new LGBTQ+ culture war heats up? We’ll be keeping our eye on it. 

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Title graphic made with Canva. Image credits to Gallup.

References

[1]: Smith, T. E., & Yost, M. R. (2023). The power of self-identification: Naming the “plus” in LGBT+. In E. L. Zurbriggen & R. Capdevila (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Power, Gender, and Psychology (pp. 233–253). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41531-9_14

[2]: Bates, A., Hobman, T., & Bell, B. T. (2020). “Let me do what i please with it . . . don’t decide my identity for me”: LGBTQ+ youth experiences of social media in narrative identity development. Journal of Adolescent Research, 35(1), 51–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558419884700