Measuring California's LGBT population
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California has a smaller share of adults who identify as LGBT than other states, according to a recent analysis.
Why it matters: It's difficult to pin down the exact size of the LGBTQ+ population nationwide or in any given state, in part because gold-standard data collection efforts like the decennial census or the American Community Survey lack specific relevant questions, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.
- Yet having some sense of the LGBTQ+ community's size is vital for meeting its public health and other policy needs.
Dig in: An estimated 5.1% of California adults identify as LGBT, compared with 5.5% nationally, according to a survey that specifically asked whether people identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
- Washington D.C. and Oregon have the two highest shares of LGBT adults, 14.3% and 7.8%, respectively.
- The estimates come by way of the Williams Institute, a UCLA Law think tank focused on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy.
- They're based on combined 2020-2021 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a CDC effort to collect wide-ranging health info through phone surveys.
Zoom in: A larger share of younger California residents self-identify as LGBT compared to older residents, per the analysis.
- 13.6% of adults ages 18–24 identify as LGBT, compared with 8.1% of those 25-34, 3.7% of those 35–49, 2.5% of those 50–64 and 1.6% of those 65 or older.
Reality check: These findings are based on self-reporting, and people in states with hostile attitudes toward LGBTQ+ communities may be less forthcoming about their identity.
- Some in the LGBTQ+ community may also favor privacy over data-sharing amid a rise in hate crimes and threats.
What they're saying: "The world is changing around us, and we have to think about what that means to shift environments and policies so that everybody can live well and live safely," Williams Institute research director Kerith Conron tells Axios.