According to a new Gallup survey released Friday, Americans believe that gay men and lesbians make up 25% of the population.

When pollsters asked, “Just your best guess, what percent of Americans today would you say are gay or lesbian?” 35 percent of respondents answered, “More than 25%” – the most popular response.

On average, Americans believe that 1 in 4 people are gay.

A 2002 Gallup poll found lower estimates. Americans then estimated that 21% of men were gay and that 22% of women were lesbian.

“Americans' current collective estimate … is likely driven more by perceptions and exposure than by scientific measurement or reality,” the pollster said in announcing its findings. “Additionally, Americans tend to have difficulty estimating percentages of population groups whose numbers are more widely known.”

Demographer Gary Gates recently estimated that 3.5% of adults in America identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and 0.3 percent of adults are transgender. Putting the number of LGBT Americans at 9 million, or roughly the population of New Jersey.

Gallup also found that Americans with lower incomes and less education gave the highest estimates.

“Combined with Americans' record support for legal gay relations and same-sex marriage, it is clear that America's gay population – no matter the size – is becoming a larger part of America's mainstream consciousness,” the pollster said.