This evaluation focuses on whether or not individuals world wide assume that homosexuality must be accepted by society or not. The complete query wording was, “And which one among these comes nearer to your opinion? Homosexuality must be accepted by society OR Homosexuality shouldn’t be accepted by society.”
The query is a long-term development, first requested within the U.S. by the Pew Analysis Middle in 1994 and globally in 2002. Respondents had an choice to not reply the query (they may volunteer “don’t know” or refuse to reply the query). Respondents didn’t get any additional directions on interpret the query and no important issues had been famous throughout the fielding of the survey.
The time period “homosexuality,” whereas typically thought of anachronistic within the present period, is essentially the most relevant and simply translatable time period to make use of when asking this question across societies and languages and has been utilized in different cross-national research, together with the World Values Survey.
For this report, we used knowledge from a survey carried out throughout 34 international locations from Might 13 to Oct. 2, 2019, totaling 38,426 respondents. The surveys had been carried out head to head throughout Africa, Latin America and the Center East, and on the telephone in United States and Canada. Within the Asia-Pacific area, face-to-face surveys had been carried out in India, Indonesia and the Philippines, whereas telephone surveys had been administered in Australia, Japan and South Korea. Throughout Europe, the survey was carried out over the telephone in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, however head to head in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine.
Listed below are the questions used for the report, together with responses, and the survey methodology.
Regardless of main modifications in legal guidelines and norms surrounding the difficulty of same-sex marriage and the rights of LGBT people around the world, public opinion on the acceptance of homosexuality in society stays sharply divided by nation, area and financial improvement.
Because it was in 2013, when the query was final requested, attitudes on the acceptance of homosexuality are formed by the nation during which individuals reside. These in Western Europe and the Americas are typically extra accepting of homosexuality than are these in Japanese Europe, Russia, Ukraine, the Center East and sub-Saharan Africa. And publics within the Asia-Pacific area typically are cut up. It is a perform not solely of financial improvement of countries, but in addition non secular and political attitudes.
However even with these sharp divides, views are altering in most of the international locations which were surveyed since 2002, when Pew Analysis Middle first started asking this query. In many countries, there was an rising acceptance of homosexuality, together with in the USA, the place 72% say it must be accepted, in contrast with simply 49% as not too long ago as 2007.
Lots of the international locations surveyed in 2002 and 2019 have seen a double-digit enhance in acceptance of homosexuality. This features a 21-point enhance since 2002 in South Africa and a 19-point enhance in South Korea over the identical time interval. India additionally noticed a 22-point enhance since 2014, the primary time the query was requested of a nationally consultant pattern there.
There even have been pretty massive shifts in acceptance of homosexuality over the previous 17 years in two very totally different locations: Mexico and Japan. In each international locations, simply over half mentioned they accepted homosexuality in 2002, however now nearer to seven-in-ten say this.
In Kenya, only one in 100 mentioned homosexuality must be accepted in 2002, in contrast with 14% who say this now. (For extra on acceptance of homosexuality over time amongst all of the international locations surveyed, see Appendix A.)
In most of the international locations surveyed, there are also variations on acceptance of homosexuality by age, schooling, earnings and, in some cases, gender – and in a number of instances, these variations are substantial. As well as, faith and its significance in individuals’s lives form opinions in lots of international locations. For instance, in some international locations, those that are affiliated with a non secular group are usually much less accepting of homosexuality than those that are unaffiliated (a gaggle typically known as non secular “nones”).
Political ideology additionally performs a job in acceptance of homosexuality. In lots of international locations, these on the political proper are much less accepting of homosexuality than these on the left. And supporters of a number of right-wing populist events in Europe are additionally much less prone to see homosexuality as acceptable. (For extra on how the survey defines populist events in Europe, see Appendix B.)
Attitudes on this difficulty are strongly correlated with a rustic’s wealth. On the whole, individuals in wealthier and extra developed economies are extra accepting of homosexuality than are these in much less rich and developed economies.
For instance, in Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany, all of which have a per-capita gross home product over $50,000, acceptance of homosexuality is among the many highest measured throughout the 34 international locations surveyed. In contrast, in Nigeria, Kenya and Ukraine, the place per-capita GDP is beneath $10,000, lower than two-in-ten say that homosexuality must be accepted by society.
These are among the many main findings of a Pew Analysis Middle survey carried out amongst 38,426 individuals in 34 international locations from Might 13 to Oct. 2, 2019. The research is a follow-up to a 2013 report that discovered most of the similar patterns as seen right this moment, though there was a rise in acceptance of homosexuality throughout most of the international locations surveyed in each years.
Diversified ranges of acceptance for homosexuality throughout globe
The 2019 survey reveals that whereas majorities in 16 of the 34 international locations surveyed say homosexuality must be accepted by society, international divides stay. Whereas 94% of these surveyed in Sweden say homosexuality must be accepted, solely 7% of individuals in Nigeria say the identical. Throughout the 34 international locations surveyed, a median of 52% agree that homosexuality must be accepted with 38% saying that it must be discouraged.
On a regional foundation, acceptance of homosexuality is highest in Western Europe and North America. Central and Japanese Europeans, nevertheless, are extra divided on the topic, with a median of 46% who say homosexuality must be accepted and 44% saying it shouldn’t be.
However in sub-Saharan Africa, the Center East, Russia and Ukraine, few say that society ought to settle for homosexuality; solely in South Africa (54%) and Israel (47%) do greater than 1 / 4 maintain this view.
Folks within the Asia-Pacific area present little consensus on the topic. Greater than three-quarters of these surveyed in Australia (81%) say homosexuality must be accepted, as do 73% of Filipinos. In the meantime, solely 9% in Indonesia agree.
Within the three Latin American international locations surveyed, robust majorities say they settle for homosexuality in society.
Pew Analysis Middle has been gathering knowledge on acceptance of homosexuality within the U.S. since 1994, and there was a comparatively regular enhance within the share who say that homosexuality must be accepted by society since 2000. Nevertheless, whereas it took practically 15 years for acceptance to rise 13 factors from 2000 to only earlier than the federal legalization of homosexual marriage in June 2015, there was a close to equal rise in acceptance in simply the 4 years since legalization.
Whereas acceptance has elevated over the previous twenty years, the partisan divide on homosexuality within the U.S. is extensive. Greater than eight-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (85%) say homosexuality must be accepted, however solely 58% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the identical.
On the similar time, the U.S. nonetheless maintains one of many lowest charges of acceptance among the many Western European and North and South American international locations surveyed. (For extra on American views of homosexuality, LGBT points and same-sex marriage, see Pew Analysis Middle’s matter web page here; U.S. political and partisan views on this matter might be discovered here.)
In 22 of 34 international locations surveyed, youthful adults are considerably extra doubtless than their older counterparts to say homosexuality must be accepted by society.
This distinction was most pronounced in South Korea, the place 79% of 18- to 29-year-olds say homosexuality must be accepted by society, in contrast with solely 23% of these 50 and older. This staggering 56-point distinction exceeds the following largest distinction in Japan by 20 factors, the place 92% and 56% of these ages 18 to 29 and 50 and older, respectively, say homosexuality must be accepted by society.
In many of the international locations surveyed, there aren’t any important variations between women and men. Nevertheless, for all 12 international locations surveyed the place there was important distinction, girls had been extra prone to approve of homosexuality than males. South Korea reveals the most important divide, with 51% of girls and 37% of males saying homosexuality must be accepted by society.
In most international locations surveyed, those that have higher ranges of schooling are considerably extra prone to say that homosexuality must be accepted in society than those that have much less schooling.
For instance, in Greece, 72% of these with a postsecondary schooling or extra say homosexuality is suitable, in contrast with 42% of these with a secondary schooling or much less who say this. Important variations of this nature are present in each international locations with typically excessive ranges of acceptance (equivalent to Italy) and low ranges (like Ukraine).
In an analogous variety of international locations, those that earn extra money than the nation’s nationwide median earnings additionally usually tend to say they settle for homosexuality in society than those that earn much less. In Israel, for example, 52% of upper earnings earners say homosexuality is suitable in society versus solely three-in-ten of decrease earnings earners who say the identical.
In most of the international locations the place there are measurements of ideology on a left-right scale, these on the left are usually extra accepting of homosexuality than these on the ideological proper. And in lots of instances the variations are fairly massive.
In South Korea, for instance, those that classify themselves on the ideological left are greater than twice as prone to say homosexuality is suitable than these on the ideological proper (a 39-percentage-point distinction). Comparable double-digit variations of this nature seem in lots of European and North American international locations.
In an analogous vein, those that assist right-wing populist events in Europe, a lot of that are seen by LGBT teams as a threat to their rights, are much less supportive of homosexuality in society. In Spain, individuals with a positive opinion of the Vox celebration, which not too long ago has begun to oppose some gay rights, are a lot much less prone to say that homosexuality is suitable than those that don’t assist the celebration.
And in Poland, supporters of the governing PiS (Regulation and Justice), which has explicitly focused homosexual rights as anathema to traditional Polish values, are 23 share factors much less prone to say that homosexuality must be accepted by society than those that don’t assist the governing celebration.
Comparable variations seem in neighboring Hungary, the place the ruling Fidesz celebration, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, additionally has shown hostility to gay rights. However even in international locations like France and Germany the place acceptance of homosexuality is excessive, there are variations between supporters and non-supporters of key right-wing populist events equivalent to Nationwide Rally in France and Various for Germany (AfD).
Faith, each because it pertains to relative significance in individuals’s lives and precise non secular affiliation, additionally performs a big position in perceptions of the acceptability of homosexuality in lots of societies throughout the globe.
In 25 of the 34 international locations surveyed, those that say faith is “considerably,” “not too” or “in no way” vital of their lives usually tend to say that homosexuality must be accepted than those that say faith is “very” vital. Amongst Israelis, those that say faith is just not essential of their lives are nearly thrice extra doubtless than those that say faith is essential to say that society ought to settle for homosexuality.
Important variations of this nature seem throughout a broad spectrum of each extremely non secular and fewer non secular international locations, together with Czech Republic (38-percentage-point distinction), South Korea (38), Canada (33), the U.S. (29), Slovakia (29), Greece (28) and Turkey (26).
Non secular affiliation additionally performs a key position in views in the direction of acceptance of homosexuality. For instance, those that are religiously unaffiliated, typically referred to as non secular “nones,” (that’s, those that determine as atheist, agnostic or “nothing specifically”) are usually extra accepting of homosexuality. Although the opinions of religiously unaffiliated individuals can vary widely, in nearly each nation surveyed with a enough variety of unaffiliated respondents, “nones” are extra accepting of homosexuality than the affiliated. Typically, the affiliated comparability group is made up of Christians. However even amongst Christians, Catholics usually tend to settle for homosexuality than Protestants and evangelicals in lots of international locations with sufficient adherents for evaluation.
One instance of this sample might be present in South Korea. Koreans who’re religiously unaffiliated are about twice as prone to say that homosexuality must be accepted by society (60%) as those that are Christian (24%) or Buddhist (31%). Equally, in Hungary, 62% of “nones” say society ought to settle for homosexuality, in contrast with solely 48% of Catholics.
Within the few international locations surveyed with Muslim populations massive sufficient for evaluation, acceptance of homosexuality is especially low amongst adherents of Islam. However in Nigeria, for instance, acceptance of homosexuality is low amongst Christians and Muslims alike (6% and eight%, respectively). Jews in Israel are more likely to say that homosexuality is suitable than Israeli Muslims (53% and 17%, respectively).
Supply: www.pewresearch.org
