How Many People are Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr? - Williams Instute

Contents:

• HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR?
• AMERINS STILL GREATLY OVERTIMATE U.S. GAY POPULATN
• GAY MEN EARN DEGRE AT HIGHT RATE, STUDY FDS

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR?

Increasg numbers of populatn-based surveys the Uned Stat and across the world clu qutns that allow for an timate of the size of the lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) populatn.

Conversely, gay men prise substantially more than half of gay and bisexual men seven of the ne surveys.

Unrstandg the size of the lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) populatn is a cril first step to rmg a host of public policy and rearch topics. In measurg sexual orientatn, lbian, gay, and bisexual dividuals may be intified strictly based on their self-inty or may be possible to nsir same-sex sexual behavr or sexual attractn.

AMERINS STILL GREATLY OVERTIMATE U.S. GAY POPULATN

Fdgs shown Figure 1 nsir timat of the percentage of adults who self-intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual across ne surveys nducted wh the past seven years. While the surveys show a fairly wi variatn the overall percentage of adults who intify as LGB, the proportn who intify as lbian/gay vers bisexual is somewhat more nsistent (see Figure 2). The Natnal Survey of Fay Growth found rults that were sentially the oppose of the UK survey wh only 38% intifyg as lbian or gay pared to 62% intifyg as bisexual.

The Natnal Survey of Sexual Health and Behavr and the Atralian Longudal Study of Health and Relatnships both found a majory of rponnts (55% and 59%, rpectively) intifyg as surveys show even greater nsistency differenc between men and women associated wh lbian/gay vers bisexual inty. Wh the surveys, a larger actn of adults report same-sex attractns and behavrs than self-intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual (see Figure 4).

In 2002, Gallup asked Amerins to timate the proportn of men and women who are gay or lbian, rpectively.

GAY MEN EARN DEGRE AT HIGHT RATE, STUDY FDS

As Gallup poted out s ial timate of the entire LGBT populatn 2012, "Exactly who mak up the LGBT muny and how this group should be measured is a subject of some bate, " and "there are a number of ways to measure lbian, gay, and bisexual orientatn, and transgenr stat.

" Th, Gallup's methodology is not the only way to timate the percentage of the populatn that is gay or lbian. Are far lower than what the public timat, and no measurement procre has produced any figur suggtg that more than one out of five Amerins are gay or lbian.

Among polil partisans, Democrats and pennts timate that about a quarter of Amerins are gay or lbian, while the average approximatn among Republins is a b lower (18. It is, therefore, possible that Amerins' perceptns of the gay populatn may be fluenced by the greater reprentatn they see among young people. Overall, 9 percent of rponnts intified as lbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual or asexual; for Generatn Z, the figure doubl to 18 percent.

Rponnts overall intified as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr or queer, while 16 percent of those Generatn Z reported beg LGBTQ.

Exposure to sexual and genr moriWorldwi, 42 percent of survey rponnts said they have a gay or lbian relative, iend or lleague, while 24 percent said they know someone who is bisexual; 10 percent said they known someone who is transgenr, and 9 percent said they know someone who is nonbary, genr-nonnformg or genr-fluid.

In Brazil, for example, 66 percent report havg a gay or lbian relative, iend or lleague, but Japan and South Korea, the number is only 7 to speakg out on behalf of LGBTQ people, nearly one-third of all rponnts around the world said they had done so. Globally, 13 percent of all rponnts said they had attend such an event, cludg 54 percent of lbian and gay rponnts and 10 percent of heterosexuals.

Enb, who was not volved the survey, said the low level of participatn Pri events Rsia is due, part, to the untry's so-lled gay propaganda law. "Same-sex marriage and parentg have been the ma featur of the homophobic and stigmatizg disurse of the state. Havg the send-hight growth, followg Argenta, where support grew by 25 Amerin untri monstrated relatively high levels of support for same-sex marriage, wh 82 percent of rponnts Chile and 76 percent Mexi favor of same-sex marriage or some type of legal regnn of gay unns.

The laws, Díez said, have a "normalizg effect, " creasg support for the polici and acceptance of homosexualy. Visibily and equalyAround the world, a majory support lbians', gays' and bisexuals' beg open about their sexual orientatn (51 percent favor pared to 16 percent opposn).

There is strong support for laws banng discrimatn at 55 percent worldwi, but support is more muted on public affectn, wh 37 percent supportg and 27 percent is also global support for openly lbian, gay and bisexual athlet on sports teams. In addn to beg able to intify whether they are lbian, gay, bisexual or straight, rponnts may also specifilly intify whether they are transgenr. In olr age groups, exprsed bisexual preference is not signifintly more mon than exprsed gay or lbian preference.

At a time when Amerins are creasgly supportive of equal rights for gay, lbian and transgenr people, a growg percentage of Amerins intify themselv as LGBT. An overwhelmg share of Ameri’s lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr adults (92%) say society has bee more acceptg of them the past and an equal number expect to grow even more acceptg the ahead.

The survey fds that 12 is the median age at which lbian, gay and bisexual adults first felt they might be somethg other than heterosexual or straight. For those who say they now know for sure that they are lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr, that realizatn me at a median age of 17. This report is based primarily on a Pew Rearch Center survey of the LGBT populatn nducted April 11-29, 2013, among a natnally reprentative sample of 1, 197 self-intified lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr adults 18 years of age or olr.

Even though a rerd 51% of the public now favors allowg gays and lbians to marry legally, up om 32% 2003, that share is still far below the 93% of LGBT adults who favor same-sex marriage.

The table above provis a look at key mographic characteristics of the full Pew Rearch LGBT survey sample and s three largt sub-groups—bisexuals, gay men and lbians. It shows, among other thgs, that bisexuals are younger, have lower fay and are ls likely to be llege graduat than gay men and lbians.