Global survey finds 9% of adults identify as LGBTQ

Nearly 1 in 10 adults across 30 countries identify as LGBTQ, according to a new global survey, but that number tells only part of the story. Age and geographic location played a central role in the findings, with younger respondents and those in more progressive countries significantly more likely to be included in that top-line number. Demographics, including gender, also figured noticeably in respondents' views on issues like transgender discrimination and same-sex marriage.

Ipsos, a market-research company, surveyed 22,514 participants in 30 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia in February and March, and found that 3% identified as lesbian or gay, 4% as bisexual, 0.9% as pansexual or omnisexual, and 0.9% as asexual.

Survey respondents in Generation Z (born after 1997) were two times as likely as millennials (born in 1981 to 1996) to identify as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual or asexual, and four times as likely as those in Generation X (1965 to 1980) or baby boomers (1948 to 1964).

When survey results were broken down by geography, respondents in Spain were the most likely (6%) to identify as gay or lesbian, while those in Brazil and the Netherlands were the most likely to identify as bisexual (both 7%). By contrast, respondents in Japan were the least likely to identify as gay or lesbian (less than 1%) or as bisexual (1%).

In terms of gender identity, 0.8% of respondents identified as transgender; 1.3% percent as nonbinary, gender nonconforming or gender fluid; and 0.7% did not identify with any of these categories but also did not identify as male or female.

Like sexual identity, there are large — and growing — generation gaps. While 6% of Generation Z respondents identified as something other than exclusively male or only female, 3% of millennials reported the same, while only 1% of Generation X and boomers did.

“We are seeing generational shifts. Globally, only 4% of boomers identify as LGBT+ versus 18% of Gen Z,” Nicolas Boyon, a senior vice president at Ipsos, told NBC News. “Older generations are seeing this and are probably a little bit puzzled.”

LGBTQ visibility

Globally, LGBTQ visibility has increased since 2021, when Ipsos last conducted its global survey. Nearly half (47%) of adults say they have a relative, friend or colleague who is lesbian or gay, up from 42% in 2021, and more than a quarter (26%) say they know someone who is bisexual, an increase of 2 percentage points from 2021. When it comes to gender identity, 13% know someone who is trans, an increase of 3 percentage points since 2021.

The number of people who say they know someone who is LGBTQ varies widely by country. The highest visibility for gays, lesbians and bisexuals was in Brazil, Spain, Chile and New Zealand, while visibility was the lowest in Japan, South Korea, Romania and Turkey.

Gender diversity was most visible in Thailand, New Zealand, the U.S. and Australia, and least visible in Romania, South Korea, Japan and Hungary.

Younger people and women were more likely than men and older respondents to know someone who is LGBTQ, and younger people in particular were much more likely to know someone who is transgender, the report found.

Transgender discrimination

Globally, 67% of respondents said transgender people confront a fair or great deal of discrimination, while 19% said they face little to no discrimination. And more than three quarters (76%) of those surveyed — representing a majority in each of the 30 countries surveyed — said transgender people should be protected from discrimination in employment, housing and businesses such as restaurants and stores.

A majority of respondents also said they support trans-inclusive policies that have become political flashpoints in several countries: 60% said trans teens should be able to access gender-affirming care with parental consent; 55% said trans people should be allowed to access single-sex facilities that match their gender identity; and 53 percent said government-issued IDs should include options other than male or female.

Thailand and Chile were among the countries most in favor of pro-transgender measures, while the U.S. and the United Kingdom — where trans issues have “polarizing political issues,” according to the report — were among the least.

Same-sex marriage

More than half of all respondents (56%) said gay marriage should be legal, and an additional 16% said same-sex couples should be able to receive some form of legal recognition. By contrast, 14% opposed any form of legal recognition, and an additional 14% were unsure.

In the 20 countries surveyed where same-sex marriage is already legal, support for it ranged from 49% to 80%, with only Colombia coming in below the halfway mark. In the other 10, a majority support some form of recognition, with the exception of Turkey.

Support for same-sex marriage, however, has “softened in several Western countries since 2021,” the report found.

Of the 23 countries surveyed both this year and in 2021, the report found that nine showed a decline of 4 percentage points or more in the support of same-sex marriage, including the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Only two countries surveyed both years showed an increase of 4 percentage points or more: France and Peru.

“We see that there tends to be a lot of opposition where trans rights are a very political issue,” Boyon said. “I wonder if, to some extent, the political polarization has not spilled over to views about same-sex marriage and adoption.”

Similar patterns were also found regarding adoption by same-sex couples. Globally, 64% of respondents said same-sex couples should have the same adoption rights as opposite-sex couples, though the report found that support for same-sex adoption has “declined significantly” in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey.

Women and younger respondents were more likely to support same-sex marriage and adoption than men and older respondents.

“Most LGBT+ related trends cross borders,” Boyon said.

And while African and Middle Eastern countries are not represented in the sample, he said the survey allows “cross-country comparisons and brings to light patterns that are often not limited to one country or one region.”