New poll shows support for LGBTQ+ rights continues to drop in the U.S.

This story originally appeared on Them.

The thing about queerphobia: it’s so back.

Acceptance of LGBTQ+ people across the board has backslid since its peak in the 2010s, according to new dataset from Gallup. That includes lower acceptance for same-sex marriage, fewer people believing queer relationships and gender transition are moral.

After a steady increase over decades, from 27% in 1996 to 71% in 2022, the percentage of Americans who supports same-sex marriage has continued its downward turn. It now stands at 65%, after showing a marginal decline every year since 2022. Notably, the decline in acceptance of same-sex marriage coincides with the 2022 explosion of the slur “groomer” to refer to LGBTQ+ people as well as the passage of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law and the proliferation of copycat legislation.

Similarly, the percentage of Americans who believe that same-sex relationships are “moral” has gone up since Gallup first asked the question in 2001, then tapered off after peaking in 2022, also with 71%. That number now stands at 64%.

Gallup first asked Americans about the “morality” of gender transition in 2021, when 46% found it acceptable while 51% found it to be immoral. Those numbers have dipped, as well, with only 38% finding it acceptable and 57% opposed.

Notably, only 5% of Republicans say that gender transition is morally acceptable, compared with 60% of Democrats. When Gallup first asked about transition in 2021, 22% of Republicans agreed, along with 67% of Democrats. The downturn in acceptance among GOPers coincides with the rise of trans kids becoming a target in both right-wing political circles and right wing media. In recent years, media narratives around trans people have also included the false assertion that there is a correlation between mass shootings and trans identity.

Political affiliation plays a role in acceptance, per Gallup. While the numbers have overall gone down, the polling organization pointed out that the general dips are due to steep declines in acceptance among self-identified Republicans, with double-digit drops in acceptance in some cases. There has been a small drop in acceptance among independents, while LGBTQ+ acceptance among Democrats remains steady. Notably, Republican views on the morality of same-sex relationships now stand where they did in 2005. (Wow, the 2000s truly are so back!)

Results for the poll came from telephone interviews conducted in May 2026 from a sample of over 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The results are conducted with 20% landline respondents and using random digit dialing.

Gallup’s polling is in line with similar surveys that have found a decline among American acceptance for LGBTQ+ people. In March, Pew Research Center published research which found that 39% of Americans believed that same-sex relationships are “morally wrong,” putting the U.S. in ninth place globally in terms of anti-gay sentiment. Though not huge, that did represent a slight upward tick from a 2013 poll that found that percentage to be 37%. While Pew’s methodology did not include political affiliation, it did show that men were less accepting of LGBTQ+ relationships than women. People over 40 were less accepting than people aged 18-39 and religious people were less accepting than the non-religious.

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