Gallup Poll: US Adults Who Identify as LGBT Rising

More Americans are identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday.

The number rose to 4.5 percent in 2017, up from 4.1 percent in 2016 and 3.5 percent in 2012, with Gallup estimates suggesting more than 11 million adults identify as LGBT in the country today.

The rise was mostly seen among millennials, defined as people born between 1980 and 1999, with the percentage among that group expanding from 7.3 to 8.1 from 2016 to 2017. That .8 growth was the biggest year to year increase among any age group since Gallup started asking respondents whether they personally identify as LGBT in 2012.

Using Gallup data taken from interviews with over 340,000 adults, Galup also found:

• Women are more likely to identify as LGBT than men.
• The LGBT percentage has risen among all race and ethnic groups since 2012.
• Hispanics continue to be the single race or ethnic group most likely to identify as LGBT.
• LGBT identification is more common among people with lower incomes.

"It is possible that those in the younger generation who are LGBT are feeling increasingly comfortable over time with their sexual orientation, and thus are more likely to identify as such," writes Gallup's Frank Newport. "Self-reported LGBT identification among older Americans is much more stable."

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