More LGBTQ+ people want to marry than ever before, research finds

LGBTQ+ people are more likely than ever to want to get married and have children, a recently published study suggests.

Data from a Pew Research Center poll suggests that LGBTQ+ people under 50 are significantly more likely to want to get married someday compared to over a decade ago, before same-sex marriage was legalised nationwide in the US.

The research, published earlier this month, found that 59 per cent of LGBTQ+ adults want to get married in their lifetime. Comparitevely, just 28 per cent gave the same answer to the same question in 2013.

It comes after the US Supreme Court was asked to consider overturning the pivotal Obergefell v Hodges ruling, which recognised same-sex marriage as a legal right in the US.

The case was presented to the Supreme Court by former county clerk Kim Davis after she spent six days in a county jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to a gay couple after the ruling had been published.

Davis’ attorney, Mat Staver, wrote in a petition that the appeal is based on the former county clerk’s religious objections to same-sex marriage, arguing it is at odds with the American Constitution.

Obergefell v Hodges was brought to the nation’s top court after Ohio refused to recognise the marriage between lead plaintiff Jim Obergefell and his terminally ill partner, John Arthur.

The ruling, held in 2015, essentially declared same-sex marriage to be a constitutional right, overruling any US state-wide laws banning same-sex couples from marrying.

Since the judgement was made, LGBTQ+ people across the US have increasingly expressed a desire to get married, with the majority of under-50s saying they would like to one day.

The desire is particularly prevalent among 18-29 year olds, 67 per cent of whom said they want to get married someday, while 48 per cent of 30-49 year olds answered similarly.

Overall, just 12 per cent of LGBTQ+ people said tying the knot isn’t for them, while 28 per cent said they weren’t sure.

While the number of LGBTQ+ people wanting to get married in 2013 remained high, it sat at 52 per cent – seven per cent lower than the recent survey data.

Same-sex couples are also increasingly likely to want children, according to the data, with around 33 per cent of LGBTQ+ people in 2025 saying they want children, compared to 39 per cent who say they don’t and 28 per cent who aren’t sure.

Last month, the Williams Institute reported that at least 823,000 same-sex married couples currently live in the US – more than double the number in June 2015.

The study found that at least 60 per cent of all cohabiting same-sex couples are married and raising close to 299,000 children.

Overall, spending on same-sex weddings has generated close to $5.9 billion in revenue for economies across the country, with an estimated $432.2 million increase in state and local sales taxes revenue.