What's being touted as the largest study ever aimed at counting the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population finds that 3.4% of adults in the United States identify as being part of the LGBT community.
Based on interviews with more than 121,000 individuals, the Gallup survey shakes up some stereotypes: LGBT identity is highest among those who are younger, nonwhite and less educated.
The phone survey, conducted over the summer, finds:
- 4.6% of blacks, 4.3% of Asians, 4% of Hispanics and 3.2% of whites identify themselves as LGBT.
- LGBT identification is highest among those who attended but did not graduate college, 4%. Among those with a high school education or less, 3.5% identify as LGBT, compared with 2.8% of those with a college degree and 3.2% of those with postgraduate education.
- Younger Americans, ages 18-29, are three times more likely than those ages 65 and older to identify as LGBT (6.4% vs. 1.9%).
- Among ages 18-29, 8.3% of women vs. 4.6% of men identify as LGBT.
- More than 5% of those with annual incomes of less than $24,000 identify as LGBT, compared with 2.8% of those who earn more than $60,000 a year.
