22 Oct Poll claims 3.4% of US adults identify as LGBT
A new survey that is described as the largest of its kind finds that at least 3.4 percent of Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
The research was conducted by both Gallup and the Williams Institute and was based on interviews with more than 121,000 people.
According to the survey, held between June and September, 4.6% of African-Americans were LGBT, along with 4% of Hispanics, 4.3% of Asians and 3.2% of Caucasians.
Demographer Gary Gates, of the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, said: “Contemporary media often think of LGBT people as disproportionately white, male, urban and pretty wealthy.
“But this data reveals that, relative to the general population, the LGBT population has a larger proportion of non-white people and clearly is not overly wealthy.”
Research found low-income people are more likely to identify as LGBT.
Mr Gates told OutQ News that the differences in racial lines between white and non-white LGBT Americans were “one of the most intriguing findings” of the survey.
Research also showed 44% of LGBT US adults surveyed were Democratic supporters, and only 13% Republican.
Among those aged 18 to 29, 8.3% of women identified as LGBT, compared with 4.6% of men the same age.
Those who were older were less likely to be open about their sexuality.
Regarding family status, 20% of LGBT individuals said they were married and an additional 18% were living with a partner.