Religion

New Poll Says 30 Percent of Young Christians Identify as LGBTQ, Some Are Questioning the Results



A column for Relevant Magazine points out that a recently released Newsweek poll about young Christians identifying as LGBTQ needs to be taken “with a huge grain of salt.”

Tyler Huckabee writes in the column that while “societal ideas around sex and gender are changing,” the Newsweek poll, which says that nearly 40 percent of Generation Z Americans and 30 percent of young Christians identify as LGBTQ, seems to be inconsistent with other polling data.

Most polls, Huckabee argues, including one recent poll by Gallup, found that about one in six young Americans identifies as LGBTQ or about 16 percent of young Americans.

“That’s fairly consistent with other, similar polls in recent years,” he wrote.

Huckabee said the poll was sponsored by a conservative group, but the questions and responses are also a “little odd.”

One question said, “Thinking about your commitments, would you describe yourself as” and then listed six choices.

“Among millennials, ‘searching for purpose in your life,’ was the most popular, with 75 percent selecting it. ‘Believe all religious faiths are of equal value’ was nearly as popular, with 74 percent,” Huckabee wrote.

“‘An American patriot’ (55 percent), ‘Often feel anxious, depressed or unsafe’ (54 percent) and ‘Deeply committed to practicing your faith’ (52 percent) came next. ‘Prefer socialism to capitalism’ came near the bottom with 48 percent, and ‘LGBTQ’ was last, with 30 percent. Gen Zers had a similar breakdown, though 39 percent selected ‘LGBTQ.’”

Huckabee said in the article that the poll may show skewed results because of the choices.

“This is a strange way to determine how many young people think of themselves as LGBTQ,” he said.

“Most studies agree that the number of people who identify as LGBTQ in the U.S. is growing, and this number definitely includes Christians,” he added. “It would be hugely valuable for church leaders to have solid data on just how many people sitting in the pews on Sunday morning are LGBTQ. But until more and better studies are conducted, this poll doesn’t really give it to them.”

Photo courtesy: Brielle French/Unsplash 


Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.



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