BY BTL STAFF
WASHINGTON, DC – The Williams Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago surveyed countries from around the world and found that acceptance of homosexuality has risen over the past 20 years
The study was released Nov. 11 and examines the responses to 2000 survey questions asked in hundreds of surveys between 1981 and the present. Each survey involved asking questions about attitudes regarding lesbians and gay men in 10 to 52 countries.
"Available research on global public acceptance of lesbians and gay men is limited," said Andrew Park, director of international programs at the Williams Institute. "This study shows a clear trend toward increasing acceptance across the globe."
Key Findings Include:
Women are on average more than one and a half times more likely to be accepting of lesbian and gay people than men.
In 98 percent of the countries, those under 30 are more likely to say that same-gender sex is not wrong at all, compared to those aged 65 and older. The average gap in supportiveness between these age groups is 23.4 percent. The study indicates that people remain supportive as they grow older.
In Latin America, acceptance of homosexuality ranges from a high of 34 percent in Uruguay to a low of 2 percent in Ecuador. On the legal recognition for marriages for same-sex couples, Uruguay has the highest level of support at 57 percent while Guatemala has the lowest level of support at 12 percent.
In Africa, acceptance of homosexuality ranges from a high of 38 percent in South Africa to a low of 2 percent in Ghana. However, most countries in Africa are ranked in the bottom third of all countries in the world in their level of acceptance of lesbian and gay people.
Ninety-one percent of European countries have become more accepting over the past 20 years. The most accepting are those in Northern Europe, while those in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States have the lowest levels of acceptance. The level of acceptance across all surveyed countries has increased an average of 0.9 percentage points per year.
Countries in Northwestern Europe are the most accepting, followed by the following clusters of countries: Australia/Canada/New Zealand/United States, Southern European countries, Latin American countries, former Soviet Union/Eastern & Central Europe, Asian countries, African countries and majority Muslim countries.
The study, "Public Attitudes toward Homosexuality and Gay Rights across Time and Countries," is authored by Tom W. Smith, NORC at the University of Chicago; Jaesok Son, NORC at the University of Chicago; and Jibum Kim, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul Korea.
Read the whole report here.
