Happy pride month! ๐
Sources: Gallup surveys of 2012, 2016 and 2021 and the PRRI survey from 2023
this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2024
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The data doesn't really make sense, more than 50% of the population would be LGBTQ+? ๐ค
Edit: Thank you, I've had enough people making it clear that it's the graph title that is misleading and it's the total of the respective generation's population and not total of the country's population. No need to correct me again!
... No.
It's that of all extant (surviving) members of each generation, this percentage OF them identifies as queer. 3% of the silent generation means 97% of them don't.
4% of boomers means 96% of boomers don't.
7% of gen-x-ers means 93% of them don't.
16% of ~~doomers~~ millennials means 84% of millennials don't.
28% of zoomers means 73% of zoomers don't.
A whopping (97+96+93+84+73)= 443% of people are straight? No, that is not the case.
According to the US Census bureau as of 2022, The silent generation makes up 5.49% of the population (of whom 3% are LGBT). 3% of 5.49% = 0.16%
The boomers make up 20.58% of the population (of whom 4% are LGBT). 4% of 20.58% = 0.82%
Gen X makes up 19.61% of the population (of whom 7% are LGBT). 7% of 19.61% = 1.37%
Millennials make up 21.67% of the population (of whom 16% are LGBT). 16% of 21.67% = 3.47% Zoomers make up 20.88% of the population (of whom 28% are LGBT). 28% of 20.88% = 5.85%
The remaining 11.77% of the population are not represented on this graph and comprise the vanishingly small remains of the greatest generation and gen-ฮฑ. If we were to assume that gen-ฮฑ were 0% LGBT, that would mean 11.67% of the total population are LGBT. If 100% of gen-ฮฑ were LGBT, that would mean 23.44% of the total population, which is equally unrealistic. Following the trends we see here, I would expect no more than 50% of the gen-ฮฑ cohort would identify as LGBT, and more likely less. At most, the segment of the population at large who would identify as LGBT at present time is probably LESS than 17.56%
... but it'll be cool if it goes higher :3
Look at the graph's title, that's what lead to my confusion
What makes you think 50%? The highest percentage in one particular age group is about 28% meaning the average of the whole population is of course much lower.
The graph says % of total population, you've got 28% for gen z and 16% for gen y, that's 44% right there...
Maybe having the actual study would make things clearer...
Ah yes, you're right. I read it as "% ot total population of that specific age group" and I guess that is what is meant, but it is not very well phrased indeed.
Percentage of total for each generation. Your assumption of this info is that we should add them together. But if you look at the opposite numbers (percentage of those not identifying as LGBT+) you get 97% + 96% + 93% + 84% + 72% giving us a grand total of 442%.
Obviously you can't have more than 100% of anything but it does illustrate that addition is not the method we should be using.
Instead we average them. Giving us 11.6% of the total population identifying as LGBT+.
The real information we're seeing is that the amount of those who identify as LGBT+ increase with every generation.
Numbers pulled out of my arse for illustration
Say of the whole population GenZ is 25% and GenY is also 25% (for convenience). If then 28% of GenZ identify as LGBTQ+ that would be 28%*.25= 7% (25% of 28%, or 1/4 of 28%). For GenZ maths would be 16%*0.25=4%. So these two groups would in total contribute that 11% of the total population is LGBTQ+.
Hopefully that makes sense.
I didn't take the time to analyse compared to each generation's population, but the graph is badly titled and it's indeed % of their respective generation's total population.
"More than one in five young Americans (18-29 years) identify as LGBTQ (22%). One in ten people ages 30-49 (10%), 6% of people between 50 and 64 years, and 3% of people 65 years or older identify as LGBTQ. Twenty-four percent of Gen Z Americans (aged 18 to 25) identify as LGBTQ."
Strangely percentages are a bit off though.
https://www.prri.org/research/views-on-lgbtq-rights-in-all-50-states/
Yeah so it's % of their respective generation then
It's says percentage of TOTAL population.
So for 2023 that's about 28 + 16 + 7 + 4 + 3 = 58 percent.
Percentage of total for each generation. Your assumption of this info is that we should add them together. But if you look at the opposite numbers (percentage of those not identifying as LGBT+) you get 97% + 96% + 93% + 84% + 72% giving us a grand total of 442%.
Obviously you can't have more than 100% of anything but it does illustrate that addition is not the method we should be using.
Instead we average them. Giving us 11.6% of the total population identifying as LGBT+.
The real information we're seeing is that the amount of those who identify as LGBT+ increase with every generation.