Americans overestimate the size of the LGBT population - and believe they form 23% of the population when it is actually only 4%

• Just four percent of Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bi or transgender
• But a third of people believe the U.S. LGBT community stands at 25 percent
• Gallup poll found 60 percent of Americans in favor of same-sex marriage

By Belinda Robinson For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:04 EST, 24 May 2015 | Updated: 16:12 EST, 24 May 2015

A large number of Americans are overestimating the size of the gay and lesbian population, believing that it stands at 24 per cent, when just four percent of people identify as LGBT.

The findings, from a Gallup poll, were conducted amid a growing tide of support for same-sex marriage and legislation to protect the LGBT community.

But it suggests that public perception is very different to reality.

Couples: A growing number of Americans believe that the the Gay and Lesbian population stands at 24 percent, far greater than it actually is, with just four percent identifying as LGBT

Support: In a separate Gallup poll released Tuesday, the organization found a 'record-high' 60 percent of Americans favoring the legalization of same-sex marriage

According to Gallup, just four percent of Americans self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

However, a third of people surveyed believed that lesbians and gays made up more than 25 percent of the population. 

And just nine percent of those in the survey correctly stated that they thought the group made up less than 5 percent of the population, Bloomberg reports.

And even those who are against same sex marriage give inaccurate estimates about the size of the LGBT community.

The increased rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people have been pushed to the forefront over the past decade. 

And as many states legalize same-sex marriage it has become an important issue.

In a separate Gallup poll released Tuesday, the organization found a 'record-high' 60 percent of Americans favor the legalization of same-sex marriage. 

At present, same-sex marriage is legal in 37 states in America. But 13 states have banned the union. 

Marriage equality: Newlyweds Karla Arguello, left, and Catherina Pareto walk out of the Miami-Dade courthouse as the first couple to marry in Florida after Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel presided over the marriage of the couple during a ceremony in the judges courtroom on January 5, 2015 in Miami, Florida

Yes vote: Irish Senator Katherine Zappone, right, and partner Ann Louise Gilligan celebrate as the first results in the Irish referendum start to filter through at Dublin Castle, Ireland, Saturday, May 23,

The decision to legalize same-sex marriage has been made in different ways -- by the courts, state legislature and by popular vote in places like Maine, Maryland, and Washington. 

In Florida, gay marriage is now legal statewide after the courts ruled this year that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court declined to intervene.

Internationally, Ireland just voted to legalize same sex marriage, becoming one of the first country's to do so by a public vote.

Leo Varadkar, a gay Irish Cabinet minister said: 'We're the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution and do so by popular mandate. 

'That makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world, of liberty and equality.'

A spokesperson for Gallup said: 'Part of the explanation for the inaccurate estimates of the gay and lesbian population rests with Americans' general unfamiliarity with numbers and demography.'  

'The overestimation [of the size of the gay and lesbian population] may also reflect prominent media portrayals of gay characters on television and in movies, even as far back as 2002, and perhaps the high visibility of activists who have pushed gay causes, particularly legalizing same-sex marriage.' 

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