Police Presence and Mental Health are Key Concerns Regarding School Violence

In response to the school shooting in Newton, Connecticut, Gallup asked Americans what they thought would be the most effective in a series of options to curb similar violence.  The top three choices show that the majority of respondents think that increasing police presence, increasing mental health screening and treatment, and decreasing gun violence in the media should be key concerns of policymakers that are responding to the tragedy in Connecticut.

The ensuing debate has centered on gun control and this poll reveals more contention on this issue, as compared with the top three responses.  42% believe that banning the sale of assault and semi-automatic guns would be "very effective," while only 21% think it would be "somewhat effective" and 36% see such control as "not effective."

This contention carries into partisan lines, as 61% of Democrats view gun control as very effective, while only 26% of Republicans feel similarly.  Similarly, mental health carried partisan trends, with Democrats more strongly supporting mental health screening and treatment than Republicans (67% to 35%).  Republicans on the other hand tended to support decreasing depictions of violence in the media and having at least one school official carry a gun (55% and 49%, respectively), when compared with Democrats (44%, 27%).

3.4% of Americans Identify as LGBT

In the largest single survey that targets LGBT Americans, Gallup finds that 3.4% of the adult population in the United States identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.  This survey of more than 120,000 US adults is consistent with smaller research studies that found 3.8% self-identified as LGBT.

One salient trend in the data reveals the marked difference in sexual orientation within different age groups. As seen in the graph, 6.4% of the youngest age group (18-29) identified as LGBT, while each successive age group was less likely to do so (only 1.9% of those 65 and older identified as LGBT).  In addition, men and women have interesting disparities, with women ages 18-29 being much more likely to identify as LGBT (8.3%) than men of the same age (4.6%).

Another salient part of the research comes from race and ethnicity; Hispanics, Asians, and African-Americans are much more likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to identify as LGBT.  3.2% of non-Hispanic whites identify as LGBT, with 4% Hispanic, 4.3% Asian, and 4.6% African-American responding likewise.