State of LGBTQ+ Adults 45 and Older: The AARP Dignity Series

AARP’s Dignity 2024: The Experience of LGBTQ+ Older Adults increases our understanding of the lived experience of LGBTQ+ adults age 45-plus in the areas of health care access, caregiving, isolation, and relationships.  This latest report is a part of the LGBTQ+ Dignity series that AARP releases every one to two years.  Aligned with the past studies, Dignity 2024 finds that many LGBTQ+ adults still worry about social isolation and support as they age. 

According to Movement Advancement Project (MAP), there are over 2.4 million LGBT* adults over age 50 in the United States, and this number is expected to double to over 5 million by 2030. A recent Gallup report noted that LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or some other sexual orientation besides heterosexual. The younger cohorts are more apt to self-identify, with one in five adults ages 18 to 26 identifying as LGBTQ+ compared to about 8% of adults age 44 and over identifying as such. Despite the growth in the population, data gaps persist in survey-based research.

Research consistently illustrates that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) older adults have different life experiences than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. LGBTQ+ communities are diverse in race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status, ability, and in other respects, and while the research exploring LGBTQ+ adults has expanded throughout the years, there is still much to understand, including how inequality and compounded discrimination impact their quality of life across the lifespan.

LGBTQ+ issues are diverse and complicated. Historically LGBTQ+ people have faced discrimination in every area of their lives from employment to housing to healthcare. Along with AARP research, scholarly research supports the notion that LGBTQ+ people sometimes create strategies to avoid discrimination such as going back into the closet to find suitable housing, or forgoing essential healthcare which could ultimately lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes, thereby jeopardizing their longevity.

Continuing to advocate for LGBTQ+ adults and build awareness of the issues impacting these community members is key to supporting LGBTQ+ older adults. Lack of accurate representation perpetuates disparities, discrimination, and false narratives about LGBTQ+ communities. It also obscures opportunities to design more inclusive services and deliver better consumer value.

Dignity 2024: The Experience of LGBTQ+ Adults increases our understanding of the lived experience of LGBTQ+ adults age 45-plus in the areas of health care access, caregiving, isolation, and relationships. The full report will be released in August 2024 and builds upon what we have learned from AARP’s landmark research study, Maintaining Dignity: A Survey of LGBT Adults Age 45 and Older, The State of LGBTQ Dignity 2020: A Supplement to Maintaining Dignity Pre-Covid-19, which was released in 2021, and Dignity 2022: The Experience of LGBTQ Older Adults.

Our work to enhance our understanding of the unique experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ adults include the following studies, which can be disaggregated by LGBTQ+ segments:

• In 2017, AARP began work on the landmark Maintaining Dignity: A Survey of LGBT Adults Age 45 and Older study. AARP commissioned Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) to field a national survey of LGBT community members living in the United States age 45-plus to explore challenges around LGBT identity, relationships, caregiving, discrimination, community supports, and long-term care. The survey garnered 1,762 LGBT research participants. The study also oversampled gender expansive adults.
  
  
• The State of LGBTQ Dignity 2020: A Supplement to Maintaining Dignity Pre-Covid-19 garnered 1,743 LGBTQ research participants and oversampled gender expansive adults. Again, Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) was commissioned to field this national survey of LGBTQ community members living in the United States age 45-plus to explore challenges around employment and workplace issues, and financial security. The study also continued to explore relationships, caregiving, and financial security.
  
  
• Dignity 2022: The Experience of LGBTQ Older Adults was again fielded by Community Marketing & Insights (CMI). This national survey of LGBTQ+ adults age 45+ focused on housing and rental issues, while also exploring LGBT identity, relationships, caregiving, home and community, health care, and financial security, and their concerns around supportive aging and potential discrimination based on LGBTQ identity, age, and disability. The study also oversampled gender expansive adults, as well as African American/Black, Asian American, and Hispanic/Latino LGBTQ+ adults.

While researchers are closing the gap in research on LGBTQ+ adults, there is still much to explore, and monolithic assumptions should not be made. While there are common experiences, there are some issues that reveal differences in how LGBTQ+ people experience getting older. Therefore, when possible, disaggregated findings should be explored and presented.

For more information on the Dignity Series, please contact Cassandra Burton at ccantave@aarp.org. For media inquiries, please contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.