How queer-friendly is Germany? What does the population think about the LGBTIQ+ community? On the occasion of Pride Month in June 2022, we surveyed 1,000 people. The results allow conclusions to be drawn about the social acceptance of queer lifestyles.
The month of June is also known as Pride Month. A month dedicated to the LGBTIQ+ community and their supporters who stand together for equal rights, tolerance and public visibility. The month was deliberately chosen by organizers to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City. They are considered by many to be the birth of the modern gay rights movement.
The background to the riots in New York’s Christopher Street was a violent police raid on the gay bar “Stonewall Inn”. New York’s queer scene was routinely harassed by local police in the 1960s, and on the night of June 28, 1969, guests at the Stonewall Inn defied the police. Riots broke out in the neighborhood that lasted for three days and later gave rise to the first gay and lesbian civil rights movements. These movements permanently changed the legal and social perception of the international LGBTIQ+ community and continue to do so.
Today, some 50 years later, the basic rights of sexual minorities are firmly established and protected by legislation in many western countries. Unfortunately, it is still true that in many areas of society, LGBTIQ+ people are still affected by discrimination and exclusion. This is also the case in Germany. For example, “marriage for all” has only been legal in this country since 2017. And even in 2022 there is still a stigmatizing ban on blood donation for men who have sex with other men.
What do the German people think about this? How tolerant towards LGBTIQ+ is our society now? On the occasion of Pride Month, we asked ourselves exactly these questions and interviewed 1,000 people in a representative survey on LGBTIQ+ topics. The results show that even if approval may have grown in many areas, tolerance and acceptance of sexual minorities is (unfortunately) still not a matter of course throughout the country.
The results
“I think it’s right that gay and lesbian couples are allowed to marry.”
“Marriage for All ” is enjoying great social support in Germany five years after its introduction in 2017. Around 81% of those surveyed agreed with the sentence “I think it’s right that gay and lesbian couples are allowed to marry”. Concern only appears to come from supporters of the AfD. Of these respondents, only around 64% voted for “marriage for all”. 36% disagreed.
The same applies to the statements “I have no problem with gay or lesbian couples holding hands / kissing in public”. While a large majority – more than 85% of all respondents – share this attitude, AfD supporters are more skeptical: 28% express a negative attitude towards the public exchange of same-sex affection.
“I have no problem with gay and lesbian couples holding hands in public.”
“I have no problem when gay or lesbian couples kiss in public.”
“I think it’s right that sexually active men who have sex with other men are not allowed to donate blood in Germany.”
The attitude towards a blood donation ban for men who have sex with other men (MSM) is less clear cut. A narrow majority of 51.8% of the German people surveyed are in favor of such a ban.
Interestingly, young people in particular are against a blood donation ban for MSM. In the 18-24 age group, around 60% oppose a ban.
In one’s own family, homosexuality and bisexuality no longer seem to be a taboo subject. 75% of those questioned stated that they would have no problem if their child came out as homosexual or bisexual. And for two-thirds, transsexuality in their own child would not be particularly problematic. The only exception here, once again, are the supporters of the AfD. Among them, around 35% (or around 50% in the case of transsexuality) would rate their child’s coming out as rather negative.
“If my child were gay, that wouldn’t be a problem for me.”
“If my child is bisexual that would not be a problem for me.”
“If my child is transsexual that would not be a problem for me.”
The majority of respondents agreed that “holding gay pride events is important and correct in order to ensure social acceptance of the LGBTIQ+ community”. At the same time, only 59% say they would want to attend such events themselves. 41% said they would not attend personally.
“Holding gay pride events is important and right to ensure social acceptance of the LGBTIQ+ community.”
“I would like to go to social events that are attended by many homosexual or bisexual people.”
While Germany as a whole is generally tolerant of queer lifestyles, there are a few significant differences which can be identified in a direct comparison of the old and new federal states.
| Statement / approval | West | East |
| “I think it’s right that gay and lesbian couples are allowed to marry.” | 81 | 83 |
| “I have no problem with gay and lesbian couples holding hands in public.” | 86 | 84 |
| “I have no problem with gay or lesbian couples kissing in public.” | 76 | 75 |
| “I think it’s right that sexually active men who have sex with other men are not allowed to donate blood in Germany.” | 51 | 55 |
| “If my child were gay, that would not be a problem for me.” | 73 | 75 |
| “If my child were bisexual, that would not be a problem for me.” | 75 | 77 |
| “If my child were transgender, it would not be a problem for me.” | 67 | 66 |
| “Holding gay pride events is important and right to ensure social acceptance of the queer community.” | 72 | 69 |
| “I would like to go to social events that also have a lot of gay or bisexual people.” | 59 | 56 |
| “Gays and lesbians should not be disadvantaged when it comes to adoption rights.” | 75 | 74 |
| “The official recognition of the third gender (diverse) was correct.” | 60 | 58 |
| “Children should be educated on issues of sexual diversity as early as primary school age.” | 68 | 72 |
| “I would be sad if my brother or sister were gay or bisexual.” | 33 | 35 |
| “I would feel comfortable knowing that my work colleague was gay/lesbian.” | 79 | 71 |
In principle, there is a high level of approval for LGBTIQ+ issues across all party lines. An overview:
| Statement / approval in % | SPD | CDU / CSU | Green | FDP | AfD | LINKE |
| “I think it’s right that gay and lesbian couples are allowed to marry.” | 80 | 81 | 95 | 90 | 65 | 93 |
| “I have no problem with gay and lesbian couples holding hands in public.” | 86 | 84 | 97 | 94 | 73 | 97 |
| “I have no problem with gay or lesbian couples kissing in public.” | 76 | 75 | 87 | 85 | 61 | 87 |
| “I think it’s right that sexually active men who have sex with other men are not allowed to donate blood in Germany.” | 61 | 58 | 42 | 40 | 63 | 38 |
| “If my child were gay, that would not be a problem for me.” | 74 | 72 | 84 | 82 | 65 | 81 |
| “If my child were bisexual, that would not be a problem for me.” | 75 | 71 | 86 | 85 | 68 | 87 |
| “If my child were transgender, it would not be a problem for me.” | 72 | 68 | 75 | 73 | 53 | 83 |
| “Holding gay pride events is important and right to ensure social acceptance of the queer community.” | 76 | 74 | 86 | 78 | 55 | 78 |
| “I would like to go to social events that also have a lot of gay or bisexual people.” | 59 | 54 | 71 | 66 | 48 | 73 |
| “Gays and lesbians should not be disadvantaged when it comes to adoption rights.” | 74 | 74 | 91 | 84 | 58 | 81 |
| “The official recognition of the third gender (diverse) was correct.” | 64 | 61 | 79 | 60 | 34 | 80 |
| “Children should be taught about sexual diversity from an early age.” | 77 | 70 | 81 | 71 | 50 | 74 |
| “I would be sad if my brother or sister were gay or bisexual.” | 41 | 36 | 23 | 24 | 39 | 18 |
| “I would feel comfortable knowing that my work colleague was gay/lesbian.” | 82 | 72 | 88 | 87 | 59 | 93 |
A comparison of the results makes it clear that supporters of the Greens, Left and FDP generally support the LGBTIQ+ community. Most of the rejection of the LGBTIQ+ community, on the other hand, comes from the ranks of AfD supporters. But even if they are usually more critical of LGBTIQ+ issues than the supporters of other parties, they are not against queer rights across the board. In most cases, AfD supporters also vote for LGBTIQ+ acceptance with a narrow majority.
Approval of the LGBTIQ+ community is high across the country. In particular, “Marriage for All” has achieved very high approval ratings five years after its introduction and seems to be accepted by all walks of life. However, the social attitude is less uniform when it comes to a blood donation ban for gay men. A slim majority of 51.8% agrees with this ban.
The situation is similar with queer events. The majority of all respondents think queer events such as gay pride events are right and important for the LGBTIQ+ community. However, only a small majority of respondents would want to attend such events themselves.
This shows that even if the LGBTIQ+ community are now widely tolerated and accepted; they are by no means universally recognized as an essential part of society as a whole. It is therefore all the more important that there are months like Pride Month, in which the visibility of the LGBTIQ+ community in public space is made possible and strengthened.
The survey was carried out using the market research tool Appinio. To this end, in June 2022, exactly 1,000 people across Germany were surveyed.
