Americans Vastly Overestimate Size of Gay and Lesbian Population

Poll shows Americans think 25 percent of the population are lesbians or gay men. The actual figure: less than 4 percent.

Same-sex marriage is one of the fastest-moving social issues in U.S. history, having become legal in state after state as Americans cheer it in ever-growing numbers. But one thing is slightly off-kilter: Americans seem to have absolutely no idea just how many of their fellow citizens are lesbians or gay men.

In fact, they think that 23 percent of Americans, or almost one in four, are are gays or lesbians, a Gallup survey released Thursday revealed. That's way off: The polling organization most recently found that less than 4 percent self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

A third of people surveyed believed that lesbians and gays made up more than 25 percent of the population. Just 9 percent of those in the survey correctly stated that they thought the group made up less than 5 percent of the population.

It's unclear why people think there are six times as many lesbians and gays as there actually are. Keep reading