How many queers in the USA? Double what you thought!
A new study shows America’s LGBTQ+ population could be twice as big as previously estimated.
According to this survey conducted by the US Census Bureau, more than least eight per cent of adult respondents to they survey identified as LGBTQ. Two per cent more identified with a different sexual orientation other than straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender—meaning queer, pansexual or asexual. Bisexual people make up the largest demographic in the LGBT+ community, with about four per cent of those surveyed saying they identify as bi.
Overall, the number of non-straight respondents in the survey was about 21 million, over double the figure estimated by the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute in 2011. That research suggested that only 3.5 per cent of adults in the US are LGBTQ.
For the new Household Pulse Survey, researchers used a probability study, or a survey where every person has a chance of being randomly selected to take the survey, in order to make estimates.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released a report analyzing the results, titled “We Are Here: Understanding the Size of the LGBT+ Community”.
Joni Madison, HRC’s interim president, said in a statement: “This data shows what we’ve suspected: our community is larger and more widespread than we could have known up to this point.
“We’re proud to bring this data to light and set the stage for a future where all the millions of LGBTQ+ people in America enjoy full legal and lived equality.”
