Gen-Z drives surge in LGBT identification, with nearly 30% of young people identifying as LGBT

A new Gallup poll released on Wednesday reveals that more than one in five Generation Z adults, aged 18 to 26, now identify as LGBT, with nearly 30% of Gen Z women embracing an LGBT identity.

The survey found that 22% of Gen Z adults self-identify as LGBT, a significantly higher percentage than the nearly 10% of millennials (aged 27 to 42), 5% of Generation X, 2% of baby boomers, and 1% of the Silent Generation who identify as such.

"Overall, each younger generation is about twice as likely as the generation that preceded it to identify as LGBTQ+," the report states

The data also shows that the overall percentage of adults identifying as LGBT reached an all-time high of 7.6% last year, up from just 3.5% in 2012. This increase is largely driven by Gen Z women, with almost 30% identifying as LGBT, primarily as bisexual, according to Jeffrey Jones, a senior editor at Gallup.

"That's where a lot of the growth seems to be happening," Jones told NBC News.

Bisexual identities were the most common, making up 57% of those who identified as LGBT and 4.4% of adults overall. Gay men comprised 18.1% of the LGBT population, followed by lesbians at 15.1% and transgender individuals at 11.8%.

The survey also found that women are nearly twice as likely as men to identify as LGBT, with 8.5% of women and 4.7% of men identifying as such.

Critics have raised concerns about the increasing number of teenage girls identifying as transgender and seeking out medical services with permanent effects. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), teen girls are several times more likely than teen boys to seek out transgender medical services, per Reuters.

Gallup surveyed approximately 12,000 Americans aged 18 and older by phone for this study. The report concludes that if current trends continue, the percentage of adults identifying as LGBT could surpass 10% within the next 30 years, largely driven by younger Americans.