A recent survey conducted by the Brown Daily Herald reveals a substantial increase in the number of students at Brown University who identify as LGBTQ+. The independent student newspaper has tracked this trend since 2010, when 86% of students identified as heterosexual. Now, that figure has dropped to 60%, with nearly 40% of students identifying as LGBTQ+, a significant jump over the past decade.
This 38% identification rate at Brown is over five times higher than the national average for adults, which stands at 7% according to a 2022 Gallup poll. However, the Gallup poll also indicated that LGBTQ+ identification rises to 20% among individuals aged 18-25, the typical college student age range.
The survey highlights a shift in the specific identities within the LGBTQ+ community at Brown. While homosexual identification was more prevalent in 2010, representing 46% of LGBTQ+ students, it has now decreased to 23%. Bisexual identification now constitutes the majority of LGBTQ+ students at the university. Furthermore, since 2020, the survey has expanded its categories to include pansexual, asexual, queer, questioning, and other identities. A notable 17% of students identified as "questioning/unsure" about their identity in the 2023 survey.
The Brown Daily Herald published these findings as part of its "2023 Pride Special Issue." The survey methodology, including the number of participants, was not detailed in the publication.
Nationally, LGBTQ+ identification among adults has also doubled in the last ten years, rising from 3.5% in 2012 to 7.2% in 2022, with bisexuals comprising 58% of this population. This trend of increasing LGBTQ+ identification continues across generations, with the Silent Generation at 1.7%, Baby Boomers at 2.7%, Generation X at 3.3%, Millennials at 11.2%, and Generation Z at 19.7%.
