Over 25% of Americans born between 1997 and 2012 identify as LGBTQ, significantly higher than previous generations, according to a Tuesday poll from the Public Religion Research Institute.
The poll found that nearly 50% of Gen Z are more likely to identify as liberal and tend to be less religious than their millennial, Gen X or baby boomer counterparts. Meanwhile, 28% of Gen Z consider themselves LGBTQ, compared to only 16% of millennials, 7% of Gen X and a mere 4% of baby boomers.
Gen Z was also more likely to identify as “liberal” at 43%, with one out of six of the generation now eligible to vote, according to the poll. The poll respondents said that 31% of them identified as Democrats, 30% as Independents and only 21% claimed to be Republicans.
The younger generation was also most likely to express displeasure with older leadership in political office, with nearly 58% saying that “we won’t be able to solve the country’s big problems until the older generation no longer holds power” regardless of party affiliation, according to the poll.
The poll also found that respondents were less likely to belong to a specific faith, with 33% claiming a non-religious status. Data from April 2023 revealed that Gen Z was least likely to attend church services among all generations at 38%, and even those who identified as religious did not often attend church compared to older generations.
The survey was conducted from Aug. 21 to Sept. 15 with 6,014 participants aged 13 to 25. The margin of error for respondents aged 13 through 17 was plus or minus 1.51%, while the margin of error for those 18 through 25 was plus or minus 1.58%.
Kate Anderson on January 23, 2024
