Americans believe that nearly a quarter of the nation is gay or lesbian, and women and younger people think nearly 3-in-10 are LGBT, according to a new survey.
That is about five-times higher than the reality found in a new Gallup survey.
Why Americans are so wrong on the percentage of gays and lesbians is unclear, however. Gallup suggests that the rise in younger Americans saying they are LGBT is an influence, and there has been a surge in advertising that features same sex couples.
“Americans’ estimate of the proportion of gay people in the U.S. is more than five times Gallup’s more encompassing 2017 estimate that 4.5% of Americans are LGBT, based on respondents’ self-identification as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender,” said the analysis.
