The news: As Pride Month kicks off, recent studies reveal a steady increase in global LGBTQ+ identification and visibility, with a noticeable generational divide.
Identification: A new Ipsos study shows stronger LGBTQ+ identification in younger generations.
- The study, which encompassed 30 countries and involved more than 22,500 participants 75 and under, found that on average, 9% of adults worldwide and 10% in the US identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
- Globally, 3% of adults identify as gay or lesbian, 4% as bisexual, 1% as pansexual or omnisexual, and 1% as asexual. In the US, these figures stand at 3% gay or lesbian, 5% bisexual, 1% pansexual or omnisexual, and less than 1% asexual.
- 2% of UK respondents identify as transgender, non-binary, or otherwise non-gender conforming; in the US and globally, the transgender, non-binary, and other identities each were about 1%.
- The Ipsos data can be contrasted with a recent Gallup (US) study, which found that 7.2% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or non-heterosexual—double the rate from a decade ago. Within this segment, over half identify as bisexual, while roughly one in five identify as gay, one in seven as lesbian, and one in 10 as transgender. Other identities, such as queer, pansexual, or asexual, represented 1% to 2% of the surveyed adults.
Generational differences: 18% of Generation Z and 4% of baby boomers identified as LGBTQ+ (Ipsos); in the US, 16% of Gen Zers and 15% of millennials identify as LGBTQ+, compared with 8% of Gen Xers and 2% of boomers.
- The Gallup study found that almost 20% of Generation Z, 11.2% of millennials, and less than 3.3% among older generations identified as LGBTQ+. Generation Z stands out in particular, with higher identification rates for each of the LGBTQ categories. Bisexual identification is predominant in younger generations, while older LGBTQ+ adults lean more toward gay identification.