A record 7.1% of American adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, new poll shows

According to a new Gallup poll, a record number of Americans who identify as anything other than heterosexual has been reached in the last ten years.

The study showed that currently 7.1 percent of Americans identify as having an LGBT identity, a figure that represents a number more than double from 3.5 percent recognized in 2012. 

Researchers interviewed over 12,000 U.S. adults, and presented their findings based on those interviews as well as aggregated 2021 data. Out of all the adults who were surveyed, 86.3 percent of them said they are straight or heterosexual, and another 6.6 percent offered up no opinion.

The study additionally found that although LGBT identification was relatively stable amongst older generations, it has significantly risen in younger age groups.

More than 20 percent of Gen Z adults, people born between 1997 and 1999, identified as LGBT, compared to 10.5 percent of millennials, 4.5 percent of Generation X, and 2.6 percent of baby boomers.

Gallup commented on the findings: “The percentage of Gen Z who are LGBT has nearly doubled since 2017, when only the leading edge of that generation had reached adulthood. At that time, 10.5% of the small slice of the generation who were adults identified as LGBT.”

The research also estimated that out of all Americans identifying as LGBT, almost 57 percent identified as bisexual, translating to 4 percent of all U.S. adults.

Jen Grosshandler, the co-founder of The Gender Cool Project, which is a youth-led organization bringing trans stories to light, commented to ABC News, “This is a moment in time to rally around. Every day I witness transgender and non-binary youth thriving in communities everywhere. Yes, there is work to be done, but this community is growing and will continue to grow.”