Summary

LGBTQ+ people make up a significant and growing part of the U.S. population. According to the HRC Foundation, about 25.6 million U.S. adults, or 12% of adults, identify as LGBTQ+. LGBTQ+ adults live in every state, and in 40 states plus Washington, D.C., more than one in ten adults identify as LGBTQ+.

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, new findings from the Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey (ALCS) show a highly engaged community facing significant economic pressure and widespread concern about the future of LGBTQ+ rights. Eighty-seven percent say they definitely plan to vote, and nearly three-quarters say civil rights and equal protections are among the issues most important in shaping their vote.

LGBTQ+ Adults Are Highly Likely to Vote

The clearest finding is the strength of expected participation in the 2026 midterms.  Ninety-five percent of respondents indicated that they are registered to vote; eighty-seven percent of those registered voters said they definitely plan to vote, and another 7.5% said they probably will.

This high level of planned voting aligns with other HRC Foundation research showing that LGBTQ+ adults closely follow politics and think about what the election could mean for them.

87% definitely plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections

Civil Rights Lead LGBTQ+ Voter Priorities

When asked to pick up to three issues most important in shaping their vote, nearly three-quarters of LGBTQ+ respondents (73.7%) chose civil rights and equal protections for LGBTQ+ people, people of color, women, people of faith, and others.

The findings also show that LGBTQ+ voters are weighing a broad range of issues. Economic stability, inflation, and the cost of living are the second-most common concerns at 35.9%, followed by government accountability and corruption at 32.5%. Other top concerns include health care, democracy and elections, abortion and reproductive rights, and immigration and border policy.

Civil rights and equal protections rank first across every age group, but priorities vary meaningfully by generation. For example, civil rights and equal protections are the top priority for all age groups, but younger adults are even more likely to rank them among their top priorities

Middle-aged respondents are more likely to include economic concerns among their top priorities, while younger respondents are more likely to choose abortion and reproductive rights. Views on government accountability and democracy also differ by generation.

LGBTQ+ Adults Are Feeling Financial Pressure

For many respondents, economic worries are real. Just over half (51%) say they are either struggling or just getting by financially. Financial situations have gotten worse for many in the community. Nearly half of LGBTQ+ adults in the survey say they are worse off financially than they were two years ago.

Many respondents report that Trump administration policies have negatively affected their financial security. Nearly nine in ten say Trump administration policies have worsened their economic or financial security, and about two-thirds say those policies have worsened employment and job opportunities.

These findings show how respondents feel federal policies have affected their lives. Respondents’ concerns about the administration extend beyond LGBTQ+-specific issues to economic security and employment.

Low Confidence in Key Institutions

LGBTQ+ respondents say they have little confidence in many major political and public institutions. Most have very little confidence in the Republican Party, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Confidence is somewhat higher in the Democratic Party, the CDC, governors, and state legislatures, but many still report low confidence in these groups too.

Views of the current president are similarly negative: 95% of respondents strongly disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President.

SCOTUS and the Future of LGBTQ+ Protections

People are worried not just about the election, but also about what might happen to existing LGBTQ+ legal protections in the future.

Over 90% of respondents are very or somewhat worried that the Supreme Court could overturn or limit federal protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. More than 80% are concerned about the national recognition of same-sex marriages, and nearly three-quarters worry about protections for consensual same-sex relationships.

For many LGBTQ+ adults, the 2026 political climate feels uncertain not just about future policies, but also about whether current protections will last. These concerns provide important context for why civil rights and equal protections emerge as the leading voting priority among LGBTQ+ respondents.

Conclusion

The 2026 ALCS shows a large, highly engaged LGBTQ+ population approaching the midterms with both immediate economic concerns and broader questions about rights, institutions, and the country's direction. Civil rights and equal protections rank as the leading voting priority across age groups, while economic security, government accountability, democracy, health care, and reproductive rights also shape how LGBTQ+ adults are thinking about the election.

With an estimated 25.6 million LGBTQ+ adults living across the United States, these findings offer a timely snapshot of the experiences and priorities LGBTQ+ Americans are bringing into the 2026 elections.

Methodology

The 2026 Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey was conducted online from August 5 through September 8, 2026, among LGBTQ+ adults ages 18 and older living in the United States. Participants were recruited primarily through the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Community Insights Research Panel and through additional survey distribution channels designed to reach LGBTQ+ adults nationwide. Following eligibility, data-quality, and post-fielding review, the final analytic sample included 9,328 respondents. 

The survey used a nonprobability sampling approach. Results were weighted using iterative proportional fitting (raking) to better align the sample with estimated characteristics of the U.S. LGBTQ+ adult population across sexual identity, gender identity, region, age, race and ethnicity, and educational attainment. Population benchmarks were derived from Human Rights Campaign Foundation estimates using pooled 2021–2024 U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data. Because respondents were recruited through nonprobability methods, results should be interpreted as weighted descriptive estimates rather than probability-based population estimates, and conventional margins of sampling error are not reported.

See the full methodology: 2026 Technical Report for the Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey (ALCS)