New findings suggest that more young individuals in the UK are now identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB).
In only four years, the number of 16 to 24-year-olds who are LGB has nearly doubled, reaching about one in twelve.
In 2020, 8.0 percent of the population identified as LGB, up from 6.6 percent in 2019 and 4.1 percent in 2016.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the increase represents “an rising tendency for this age group since 2014.” (ONS).
Around one in 20 (5.3 per cent) of people aged 16-24 identified as bisexual in 2020, along with 2.7 per cent as LGB, 1.3 per cent as other and 87.3 per cent heterosexual or straight.
A further 3.4 per cent said they didn’t know or refused to answer.
The estimates have been published by the ONS using data from the Annual Population Survey, which collects information on sexual identity from the household population aged 16 and over in the UK.
The proportion of all adults identifying as LGB stood at 3.1 per cent in 2020, up from 2.7 per cent in 2019 and nearly double the 1.6 per cent in 2014 when estimates began.
In contrast, the percentage for adults identifying as heterosexual or straight has seen ‘a decreasing trend’ since 2014 when it was 95.3 per cent, and now stands at 93.6 per cent .
London had the highest regional proportion of adults identifying as lesbian or gay (2.9 per cent) or bisexual (1.7 per cent) in 2020, while eastern England had the lowest (1.3% and 1.0% respectively).
The survey focused exclusively on sexual identity and no data was collected for those who identify as transgender, or non-binary.
A similar poll, which did include those who identify as transgender, for Americans found 5.6 per cent of their population – or 18 million people – were LGBT+.
The 2020 survey revealed a 24 per cent rise from the last poll in 2017, when 4.5 per cent of adults identified as LGBT+, largely driven by Generation Z adults – aged 18 to 23 – 15.9 per cent of whom said they were LGBT+.