{"id":15752,"date":"2013-06-25T07:30:16","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T12:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/how-lgbt-adults-see-society-and-how-the-public-sees-them\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:30:53","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:30:53","slug":"how-lgbt-adults-see-society-and-how-the-public-sees-them","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2013\/06\/25\/how-lgbt-adults-see-society-and-how-the-public-sees-them\/","title":{"rendered":"How LGBT adults see society and how the public sees them"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the Supreme Court readies its long-awaited ruling on same-sex marriage, two Pew Research Center surveys this spring — one of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender adults<\/a> and the other of the American public<\/a> — found a common thread: that society as a whole has become more accepting of gays and lesbians.<\/p>\n\n

That finding has its caveats. While an overwhelming number (92%) of LBGT adults saw society as having become more accepting over the last decade, many reported continued discrimination, taking various forms. On the part of the general public, opposition to same-sex marriage remains substantial, and religious beliefs are a major factor. Just under half of Americans (45%) say they think engaging in homosexual behavior is a sin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

The surveys do not offer a perfect comparison. The LGBT survey included bisexuals (who comprise 40% of the LGBT survey) and transgender adults. The survey of the general public focused on views of gay men and lesbians.<\/p>\n\n

But taken together, the surveys offer some commonalities in several areas: acceptance, the experience of telling friends and family, the importance of personal contact, and in the difficult terrain of religion.<\/p>\n\n

Acceptance<\/h2>\n\n

While LGBT adults say society is more accepting, just 19% say there is “a lot” of social acceptance today and many say they have been victims of discrimination, such as being subject to slurs or jokes, or suffering rejection by a family member.<\/p>\n\n

The number of Americans who had a favorable view of gay men stands at 55%<\/a>, an 18 percentage point increase compared to a decade earlier; 58% had a favorable opinion of lesbians, a 19 percentage point increase over the same time span.<\/p>\n\n

\"PRC_See_Other\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

A March-April survey<\/a> of the general public also showed that, in recent years, there has been a decline in the percentage of Americans who think that more gays and lesbians raising children<\/a> is a bad thing for American society. Currently, 35% view this as a negative trend for society. While that is unchanged from 2011, it represents a 15-point decline since 2007 (from 50%).<\/p>\n\n

Coming Out<\/h2>\n\n

About one-in-five adults (19%) say they would be very upset<\/a> if they learned their child was gay or lesbian. That contrasts with 1985 when 64% said in a Los Angeles Times survey that they would be “very upset” if their child told them he or she was gay or lesbian.<\/p>\n\n

\"FT_Not_Upset\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n
\"FT_Hard_to_Tell\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

While public attitudes have been changing significantly over the last few decades about a child “coming out,” the experience is still a difficult one for many LGBT adults, according to our survey.<\/a> Some 56% of all LGBT adults have told their mother about their sexual orientation or gender identity and 39% have told their fathers. Within the LGBT population, roughly seven-in-ten gay men (70%) and lesbians (67%) have told their mothers, while 53% of gay men and 45% of lesbians have told their fathers.<\/p>\n\n

About six-in-ten (59%) of all LGBT adults who have told their mother said the experience was a difficult one, and 65% of those who told their father said the same. Relatively few said it resulted in their relationships growing weaker.<\/p>\n\n

Personal Contact<\/h2>\n\n

An overwhelming percentage of Americans (87%) say they know someone who is gay or lesbian, compared to 61% who said so twenty years ago in an NBC News\/Wall Street Journal survey. The survey of the general public<\/a> found that 23% say they personally know “a lot” of gay or lesbian people, while 44% say they know some, and 19% have only one or two gay or lesbian acquaintances.<\/p>\n\n

The survey also found that 68% of those who know a lot of people who are gays and lesbians — and 61% who have close friends or family members who are gay or lesbian — say they support same-sex marriage<\/p>\n\n

\"FT_Personal_Contact\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

LGBT adults believe that greater social acceptance has come as a result of more Americans knowing someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to our survey<\/a>. Individual relationships and the role of well-known public figures, like Ellen DeGeneres<\/a>, are viewed as being the most helpful things in fostering acceptance. Seven-in-ten LGBT adults say people knowing someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender helps a lot in making society more accepting, and 24% say this helps a little.<\/p>\n\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Religion<\/h2>\n\n

The survey of LGBT adults found that many in that community saw major religious institutions as unfriendly toward them<\/a>. About three-in-ten (29%) said they had been made to feel unwelcome at a place of worship or religious organization at some point in their lives. The Muslim religion (84%), the Mormon Church (83%), the Catholic Church (79%) and evangelical churches (73%) were viewed as more unfriendly than the Jewish religion or non-evangelical Protestant churches.<\/p>\n\n

\"FT_Religious_Attitudes\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

While the survey of the general public<\/a> found that, overall, the percentage of Americans who say homosexuality should be accepted by society increased from 47% to 60% over the last decade, opinions vary widely based on religious affiliation and practices. Among those who attend religious services once a week or more, those saying homosexuality should be accepted<\/a> went from 33% a decade ago to 41% today.<\/p>\n\n

When the nearly one-third of Americans who say homosexuality should be discouraged are asked in an open-ended question why they feel this way, by far the most common reason — given by 52% —\u00a0 is that homosexuality conflicts<\/a> with their religious or moral beliefs.<\/p>\n\n

\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two Pew Research Center surveys — one of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender adults and the other of the American public — found a common thread: that society as a whole has become more accepting of gays and 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