Featured Data December 8, 2023

Born This Way

Kyle Gray

Long before Americans debated the issue of same-sex marriage, Gallup probed public understanding about the nature and origins of homosexuality. In 1977, more than half (56 percent) reported that homosexuality could be attributed to environmental factors or to upbringing; a scant 13 percent viewed being gay or lesbian as something people are born with. Over the ensuing decades, more Americans came to believe it was an inherent human trait, or “something that people were born with,” in the wording of early poll questions. By the early 2010s, more Americans said being gay and lesbian was inherent rather than an artifact of upbringing, but, even as support for same-sex marriage continues to rise, fundamental disagreements remain. In 2023, we find that half of Americans report that being gay and lesbian is something people are born with and roughly three in ten (32 percent) attribute sexual differences to upbringing or environment.

Survey Reports

gender divide banner

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
September 24, 2024

The Politics of Progress and Privilege: How America’s Gender Gap Is Reshaping the 2024 Election

Americans are increasingly divided on gendered issues. A new report by the Survey Center on American Life provides context for how these divisions might impact the results of the 2024 Presidential election.

Daniel A. Cox, Sam Pressler
August 22, 2024

Disconnected: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life

Disconnected: Places and Spaces presents new survey findings that suggest Americans are less connected than ever before.

Daniel A. Cox, Kyle Gray, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
May 28, 2024

An Unsettled Electorate: How Uncertainty and Apathy Are Shaping the 2024 Election

A survey of more than 6,500 US adults focused on the 2024 presidential election reveals a pessimistic and unsettled American electorate fractured by education, ideology, class, and gender.

Generation Z and the Transformation of American Adolescence Cover Image

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond, Kyle Gray
November 9, 2023

Generation Z and the Transformation of American Adolescence: How Gen Z’s Formative Experiences Shape Its Politics, Priorities, and Future

This report explores the foundational differences between American generations through their formative adolescent experiences.