A full 48% of Americans believe young adults aged 18 to 29 are influenced by popular culture to identify as LGBTQ+ even if it’s not their true identity, according to a Los Angeles Times poll released this week.

The survey, conducted for the Times by NORC at the University of Chicago, found that Americans are deeply divided on issues involving queer children, especially kids who identify as transgender or nonbinary:

• 40% believe the increased “political and media attention” on transgender and nonbinary Americans has been a “bad thing for society,” compared to 16% who said it has had a positive impact on society.
• 77% believed elected officials were “mostly using debates over transgender and nonbinary people to distract attention from more pressing priorities.”
• 57% agreed social stigmas had prevented older generations to come out — with many opting to keep their LGBTQ+ identity secret instead.
• 53% said transgender and nonbinary people are either “influenced by society” or it is a “lifestyle choice” — compared to 46% who said they are “born that way.”

Dan Malato, a senior research director at the University of Chicago-affiliated NORC Center, told the New York Post the survey replicated questions from a 1985 survey.

“The 1985 survey data were an invaluable benchmark for measuring how public opinion towards the gay and lesbian community has shifted over the last 40 years,” he said.

“By also asking new questions about other LGBTQ+ groups, like bisexual, nonbinary, and transgender people, the data are even more powerful in understanding perceptions toward these communities today.”

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.