FEWER MILLENNIALS ACCEPTING OF LGBTQ PEOPLE, STUDY FINDS

[RandySF]

Young people are often assumed to be progressive, especially when it comes to gay rights. But a new study reveals that acceptance of the LGBTQ community by adults 18 to 34 is falling.

A new Harris Poll commissioned by GLAAD found that 36 percent of respondents in that demographic reported they'd be "very" or "somewhat" uncomfortable learning a family member was LGBTQ. That's up from 29 percent who said the same in 2018.

According to the 2019 Accelerating Acceptance Index, 39 percent would be unsettled by their child learning about LGBTQ history in school, compared to just 30 percent in 2018. And finding out their doctor was LGBTQ made a third (34 percent) uncomfortable—an uptick from 27 percent last year.

"The younger generation has traditionally been thought of as a beacon of progressive values," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. "We have taken that idea for granted."

Conducted online earlier this year, the poll quizzed 1,970 U.S. adults on their comfort level with seven theoretical situations: Learning a family member is LGBTQ, learning their doctor is LGBTQ, having LGBTQ members at their place of worship, seeing a LGBTQ co-worker's wedding picture, having their child placed in a class with a LGBTQ teacher, seeing a same-sex couple holding hands, and learning their child was learning LGBTQ history in school.

The number of young Americans who were comfortable across all seven situations dropped from 53 percent in 2018 to 45 percent this year, the second consecutive dip for the age bracket.

Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema admitted surveys typically show younger people advocating for issues like immigration reform, gender equality and climate change. "So it's surprising to see a notable erosion of acceptance for the LTBTQ community, which counters many of the assumptions we make about their values and beliefs," Gerzema said in a statement. "In this toxic age, tolerance––even among youth––now seems to be parsed out. Nothing today should be taken for granted."



https://www.newsweek.com/young-people-comfortable-lgbt-poll-1445435?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter&utm_medium=Social

[JI7]

1. people at the top are making bigotry acceptable

[Behind the Aegis]

2. Not surprised.

LGBT are an "afterthought" to many. After we were finally granted marriage equality, (again) too many thought the GLBT movement is complete....it is not. It is also glaringly obvious that many place the concerns of others over our humanity. It is also interesting I was reading another poll that showed a decline in acceptance of marriage equality. Wanna guess what year the decline started?!

Gay rights are human rights!

[ChubbyStar]

3. I have an 18 year old daughter and I know a ton of her friends

So my survey says this poll is bullshit. Thanks!

[Thekaspervote]

9. Agree!! Doesn't go with the teens and tweens I know

[Rstrstx]

10. The writer slightly misses - 18 year olds aren't "Millennials"

Young adults under 25 are more liberal (and diverse) than proper millennials, who are now looking at the big three-oh in either their front or rearview mirrors. Demographics alone tells us a teenager is statistically more likely to be exposed to different races, cultures and socially liberal attitudes than those approaching middle age and the survey should probably have been broken down into finer subgroups.

[ecstatic]

4. Bigotry is getting worse, not better.

Thanks, in part, to the Internet.

[ProudLib72]

5. I blame the Rump and anti-gay propoganda for this decline in acceptance

I would also like to see statistics on how political these millennials are, what news sources they read or watch, and what social media they are using.

[WePurrsevere]

12. I blame Trump and anti LBGTQ bull too. Unfortunately...

according to Gallup it may not be just millennials (their info does show ages and goes back in time)... https://news.gallup.com/poll/1651/gay-lesbian-rights.aspx

I find a glimmer of hope however that, while there may be a (hopefully very temporary) downward dip in overall acceptance, another recent poll has shown that: 70% of Americans are okay with a gay presidential candidate and NBC reported that a recent poll: Age matters more than sexuality to U.S. presidential voters, poll finds Americans are more likely to say they would reject a candidate older than 70 than a candidate who is gay, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

[Behind the Aegis]

13. I also blame heterosexism.

The survey doesn't say "all" or even "most" millennials, yet, we are bombarded with "some of my best friends..." as 'proof' the survey is inaccurate or even unworthy of consideration. This survey is similar to another I saw recently which interviewed all age groups, and it too showed a downward trend. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if this downward turn was taking place in other areas. I also think there is a stereotype that many adhere to, "young people are more open than older people." While, from all the research I have seen over the years, this appears to merit some truth, it doesn't mean that younger people are devoid of bigotry and that those levels can't change over time.

Sadly, one area which has increased (over the same time period) are hate crimes, including those against the LGBT community. While it may not be scientific, the election of the POS squatting in the WH is, IMO, a major factor in the upturn in hate crimes, and the downturn in acceptance.

[RockRaven]

6. What was the margin of error in these polls? The sample size? How comparable were

the samples from year to year in this set of polls, and what corrective factors were employed? Etc. Etc. Lots of drama here derived from trawling polling data, but very little meaningful insight.

This is garbage clickbait journalism. A.K.A. pretty much what you should expect from Newsweek and others of their ilk.

[WePurrsevere]

11. Sample size...

I had to follow some links but here's the sample size from GLAAD's release...
https://www.glaad.org/blog/glaad’s-2019-accelerating-acceptance-index-results-show-further-decline-lgbtq-acceptance-among

The Accelerating Acceptance Index was conducted online earlier this year among a national sample of 1,970 US adults, 18 or over, who were presented with seven situations that were selected by GLAAD and The Williams Institute in 2015.

In searching for info I found info from polls that Gallup had done (some current, some older) and unfortunately the downward dip (from non-specific age groups) can be seen there as well but you can also see more clearly when it started.

As for the "margin of error", Harris doesn't use them...
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20071113005170/en/Margin-Error-Pollsters-Widely-Misunderstood-Confuses-People

After reading the info at the Business Wire link above I'm less inclined to take Harris very seriously however I'm a bit tempted to sign up to influence their polls since apparently some news agencies do.

[smirkymonkey]

7. What? I am not buying this. My company is a big supporter of LGBTQ rights and has an affinity

group and encourages allies. There are a lot of allies of all ages, but there are a lot of millennial allies at our company as well who participate in Gay Pride month and the city's parade every year. I think they are very open and accepting, at least in my company and city. I see more acceptance among the young in our company, not less.

[Bucky]

8. It matters when the White House is occupied by hatemongers

It matters when a political party tries to acquire power by stirring up resentments against people who are different from them