Sixty-three
percent of Americans describe discrimination against gays and lesbians as a
“very” or “somewhat serious” problem in the United States. Americans who
identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) are even
more likely to see discrimination as a serious problem, at 88%. The results are
based on a Nov. 26-29, 2012 USA Today/Gallup
poll. *
Americans
overall and LGBT Americans have similar views on how challenging it is for gay
or lesbian adults to live openly in their community. In this respect, both
Americans and LGBT adults are generally positive, with a majority of each group
saying it is “not too difficult” or “not at all difficult” to live as openly
gay or lesbian. Still, about 40% of each group believes it is difficult to do
so where they live.
The
generally more negative views about gay and lesbian discrimination nationwide
versus the more positive views about the difficulty of living as openly gay or
lesbian in one’s local community could reflect Americans’ tendency to see
conditions in the United States as a whole as worse than those in the area
where they live. Another reason most LGBT Americans may say it is not difficult
of live as openly gay or lesbian in their community is that they overwhelmingly
see growing tolerance toward gays and lesbians. The poll finds 91% of LGBT
adults saying people in their community have become more accepting of gays and
lesbians in recent years.
Gallup trends on gay and lesbian rights issues
clearly indicate a trend toward growing acceptance and tolerance nationally in
recent decades. Gallup now finds a majority of Americans favoring legal
same-sex marriage, whereas a majority opposed it prior to 2011. Given the
recent trajectory of these trends, and the fact that younger Americans are more
accepting of gay and lesbian rights than older Americans, it would appear that
the public will become even more tolerant in the future. A slim majority of
Americans, 51%, say the public will eventually agree on gay rights issues in the
future; but nearly as many, 45%, believe these issues “will always divide
Americans.” LGBT adults are much more optimistic than Americans as a whole
about an emerging consensus, with 77% believing Americans will agree on gay
rights issues in the future and 21% believing the public will always be
divided.
The
heavily Democratic political leanings of LGBT adults may partly explain why
they are more optimistic. The views of LGBT adults on future consensus are vey
similar to those of Democrats overall. 65: of Democrats think the country will
reach agreement on gay rights issues in the future, while 33% disagree. In
contrast, a majority of Republicans, 61%, believe the U>S> will continue
to be divided on gay rights issues.
While
Democrats are more positive and Republicans less positive about the future for
gay rights issues, Democrats are far more negative about gay and lesbian
discrimination today than Republicans are. Eighty-one percent of Democrats say
gay and lesbian discrimination is a very or somewhat serious problem in the
United States today, compared with 48% of Republicans. Democrats’ views are
similar to those of the LGBT population, among whom 88% say discrimination is a
serious problem.
Though
the demographic trends in gay rights issues would predict a growing consensus
in the future, politics may get in the way of that. Republicans still trail
Democrats and independents in this support for gay rights and it is unclear
whether that will change. The Republican Party still officially opposes gay
marriage. Those who oppose gay marriage most often cite biblical or religious
teachings as the reason for their opposition. Consensus on gay marriage and
other gay rights issues may depend on whether Republicans and those opposed to
gay marriage on religious grounds hold firm to their current beliefs or follow
the growing societal trend toward greater tolerance, acceptance, and equality
for gays and lesbians.
*Results
for this USA Today/Gallup poll are
based on telephone interviews conducted Nov. 26-29, 2012, with a random sample
of 1,015 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the
District of Columbia.
