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The number of Americans identifying as LGBT has hit a record high, new poll finds

More Americans than ever now identify as LGBT

By Fabio Crispim

The number of Americans identifying as LGBT has hit an all-time high. 

Research-based company Gallup released a poll this week revealing that 4.5% of Americans identify as LGBT, up from 4.1% in 2016 and 3.5% in 2012. 

The poll, which surveyed 340,000 people, revealed that the number of Americans identifying as LGBT has steadily increased over the last six years.

Gallup suggests the increase has been driven by millennials, which Gallup defines as people born between 1980 and 1999. 

Their report states that the number of LGBT millennials increased from 7.3% in 2016 to 8.1% in 2017. The poll also found that 1.4% of people aged 72 or older identified as LGBT, with no change from 2016’s survey.

The poll found that 5.1% of women identify as LGBT compared to 3.9% of men. It also revealed that people with lower incomes were more likely to openly identify as LGBT, with similar results being found in Gallup’s previous polls.

In addition, Gallup estimates that over 11 million Americans identify as LGBT.

Another poll released by Gallup this week found that the number of Americans supporting same-sex marriage has reached a record high.